Psychological Knowledge: A Social History and Philosophy

'This work is a model of clarity ... It is written by an author fully in command of his material, seeking to advance debate by serious engagement with much serious literature.' - History of Psychiatry 'This is a carefully constructed and interesting book--Anyone interested in the philosophy of psychology or the nature of everyday concepts of mind and action will find the book stimulating and challenging' Adam Morton, Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Psychologists and philosophers have assumed that psychological knowledge is knowledge about, and held by, the individual mind.Psychological Knowledgechallenges these views. It argues that bodies of psychological knowledge are social institutions like money or the monarchy, and that mental states are social artifacts like coins or crowns. 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 thatexists a substantial natural amount of philosophical theorizing, a body of work that tries to determine the nature and structure of folk psychology. Examining the workings of constructivism,Psychological Knowledgeis an invaluable introduction to the history of psychology and the recent philosophy of mind.

Martin Kusch is Lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy at the University of Cambridge