What is Renaissance Period - Psychology

Movement for the revival of sciences - what is the renaissance period of psychology and what is psychology as a science. In this article we will discus development of psychology as a science, in the light of renaissance period of psychology.

After the fall of the Muslim Empires of Banu Umayyah and Banu Abbas, Christians and Jews took with them a large collection of Muslim books to Europe. At the end of the fifteenth century there was a massive political and economic revolution in Europe, which was against the first movement. 

During this period, all the previous things were rejected. Materialist thinkers were also involved in this period. According to them, matter is immortal and no incident happens without a reason.

The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries saw many inventions and new industries. New areas were discovered, modern changes took place in literature and art, and thus science and philosophy became free from the influence of religion. 

During this period, great progress was made in every field. Research and observations were also made in psychology; the importance of the nervous system was clarified. Various aspects of individual and collective human character were examined. Psychology also developed along new lines and people's interest in science increased.

Table of Contents

Copernicus | Galileo | Francis Bacon | Descartes | Thomas Hobbes | John Locke | David Hume | Auguste Comte | Immanuel Kant

Renaissance Period of Psychology - Psychology as a Science - The Development of Psychology as a Science

Psychology as a science began in the discipline - During this time, experts such as Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Francis Bacon, Newton and LD Venice worked hard to advance science. During renaissance period, psychology has also progressed a lot as a science.

How did Psychology Develop as a Science | Growth and Development of Psychology - The experts who have played an important role in the development of psychology/ renaissance period of psychology are as follows:

Copernicus 1473-1541

Copernicus was an astronomer and a great scientist. He proved by his research that the earth is a planet that revolves around the sun.

Galileo 1567-1642

Galileo invented the telescope and the thermometer. He saw the moon of Jupiter through his telescope and invited the priests of his time to observe the manifestation of nature, but they refused to do so. Galileo revolutionized physics by the law of motion.

Francis Bacon 1596-1650

Who is the father of modern psychology/ modern science - Francis Bacon separated science and philosophy from religion, and his method of observing facts was scientific. That is why Francis Bacon is considered the founder of modern science.

Francis Bacon based philosophy on reasoning and also showed his scholarly essence in the field of psychology. He studied habits, education, punishment and retribution with a view to human personality and its development. He also expressed his views on social psychology. Some experts consider him the founder of social psychology.

Descartes 1556-1660

Descartes is acknowledged as the founder of modern science and philosophy. He was also a great mathematician and was greatly influenced by Galileo's law of motion.

According to him, all the objects in the universe have motion, these objects move at regular intervals under mechanical laws.

Renaissance Period of Psychology - Based on Galileo's theory of motion, Descartes described human functions in such a way that whenever environmental forces affect living organisms, some internal changes and transformations take place in them, and these changes lead to activity.

According to him, only simple activities fall under this principle. Complex mental functions cannot be performed in this way. According to him, higher mental functions are related to the soul, and the soul is found only in human beings. In this way, he has given preference to humans over animals.

Among the British thinkers are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and David Hume, who also presented their views from a scientific point of view.

Thomas Hobbes 1588-1679

Thomas Hobbes was an English thinker. He refused to believe the soul. Inspiring by Francis Bacon, he said that everything in the world is moving. 

According to Thomas Hobbes, mental actions are the result of the movement of a person's mental forces, and his actions are due to changes in the environment. These changes are related to the environment of the past, the present or the future, he considers happiness and sorrow as the basis of human character.

Thomas Hobbes said that perception or knowledge is acquired through the senses. Man perceives the external environment as a result of the influence of external stimuli, but even in the absence of external stimuli there is sensory perception, which is the result of the movement of mental forces.

He called all such sensory experiences as ideas. According to him, with the combination of many thoughts, complex ideas and theories have played an important role in the development of psychology.

John Locke 1632-1754

According to John Locke, knowledge is acquired through the senses and perception; he refused to accept the forces of instinct. According to John Locke, a person's personal experiences and observations are the basis of his knowledge.

Renaissance Period of Psychology - According to him, by birth, the human mind is very clear and transparent; it is like a simple tablet on which impressions are recorded through experiments and observations to the senses. These impressions are not just simple senses, but a series of thoughts combining many senses, and the mind develops the ability to organize them. The attributes that appear in the objects of the universe are due to the sensory organs only.

David Hume 1711-1766

Renaissance Period of Psychology - David Hume did not believe in religion or God. According to him, there is no reality other than the five senses. Human experience is very important in his philosophy, because he considers it the source of human knowledge.

According to him, the function of the mind is only to create organization in the effects of experiences and observations. And through introspection he may know that knowledge is only about the things that man perceives.

He also refused to believe in the soul. In his view, how can something be considered that cannot observed, he emphasized the method of observation.

Auguste Comte 1798-1857

Renaissance Period of Psychology - In the eighteenth century, like other French thinkers, Auguste Comte began to explain science scientifically. Like David Hume, he believed only in the reality of human experience.

Auguste Comte did not acknowledge the existence of God. He said that the universe is what man has experienced.

Immanuel Kant 1724-1854

Immanuel Kant's ideas are very important in the revivalist movement in Germany. Kant explained the difference between external knowledge and internal knowledge. According to him, science is related to external knowledge while religion is related to real or internal knowledge.

Immanuel Kant acknowledges the existence of God, but at the same time realizes that rational reason cannot convince us of its existence. Therefore, he feels the need of practical intellect, which has access to the inner, but reasoning cannot reach the inner.

He considers the universe to be purposeful, just as he supported purposefulness over mechanization.

Also noteworthy are the names of Berkeley, Hartley, and Hegel among eighteenth-century scholars, who emphasized rationalism. Developmental psychology masters | Developmental psychology.