Philosophy is basically the pursuit of all knowledge -- or of meta-knowledge: as in, “how much can we know about anything?”  The study of philosophy is very old, and writing today survives from thousands of years ago, in both Western (e.g., Socrates) and Eastern (e.g., Confucius) schools of thought.  Philosophers ask questions about what is real and what that reality is made of, what systems of thought should we use to learn more about things, what actions are “right” and how can we live “best”, and much more.  Today, a lot of scientists question the continued worth of philosophy, but that question itself is a philosophical one.

Psychologists study the human mind and attempt to find out why we behave the way we do.  The most famous psychologist might be Sigmund Freud, who popularized the idea of examining subconscious or unconscious thoughts and their effects on our mental and even physical health.  Psychology is still sometimes considered a controversial or developing science, and there is a lot of social stigma around the use of psychiatry.

This book combines these two disciplines, outlining the history and philosophy behind the creation and development of psychology as a science.  In addition to laying out context and background for the famous Western men who built psychology, modern material is provided to broaden that perspective and demonstrate contributions by women and alternate cultures.  The book is designed to be accessible and useful for undergraduate students and provides numerous thought experiments and case studies to illustrate the relevant information.

 SEE THE DEAL