Psychological Knowledge

<p>Psychologists and philosophers have assumed that psychological knowledge is knowledge about, and held by, the individual mind. <em>Psychological Knowledge</em> challenges these views. It argues that bodies of psychological knowledge are social institutions like money or the monarchy, and that mental states are social artefacts like coins or crowns.<br>Martin Kusch takes on arguments of alternative proposals, shows what is wrong with them, and demonstrates how his own social-philosophical approach constitutes an advance. We see that exists a substantial natural amount of philosophical theorising, a body of work that tries to determine the nature and structure of folk psychology.<br>Examining the workings of constuctivism, <em>Psychological Knowledge</em> is an invaluable introduction to the history of psychology and the recent philosophy of mind.</p> Introduction PART I A social history of psychological knowledge: the controversy over thought psychology in Germany, 1900–20 Introduction to Part I 1 The Würzburgers 2 Friends and foes 3 Recluse or drillmaster versus interlocutor and interrogator 4 Purist versus promiscuist 5 Collectivist versus individualist 6 Protestant versus Catholic 7 Conclusions PART II The sociophilosophy of folk psychology Introduction to Part II 8 The folk psychology debate 9 Folk psychology as a social institution