The Unplanned Obsolescence of Psychological Science and an Argument for its Revival

Pyshcology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice 3:357-379 (2016)
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Abstract

I examine some of the key scientific pre-commitments of modern psychology, and argue that their adoption has the unintended consequence of rendering a purely psychological analysis of mind indistinguishable from a purely biological treatment. And, since these pre-commitments sanction an “authority of the biological”, explanation of phenomena traditionally considered the purview of psychological analysis is fully subsumed under the biological. I next evaluate the epistemic warrant of these pre-commitments and suggest there are good reasons to question their applicability to psychological science. I conclude that experiential aspects of reality give us reason to remain open to the need for psychological explanation in the treatment of mind.

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Stanley Bernard Klein
University of California at Santa Barbara

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