ABSTRACT
This chapter examines philosophical foundations and issues encountered in psychological history. The chapter begins with a discussion of epistemology: what can we know, and how can we know it? The chapter then turns to discussion of the relations of epistemology to science. Next, students are introduced to questions about free will and determinism. Do humans have free will, or are their actions completely caused by social, environmental, and genetic drives forces? The chapter then examines approaches to mind and brain. These materials are also connected to developmental perspectives and psychogeny (the study of the origin of mental activities). The chapter concludes with an examination of problems of explanation.
