The Mind-Body Problem, the IQ Test, and the Social Darwinism

History and Theories of Psychology
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History and Theories of Psychology
Question 1: Mind-Body Problem
The mind and body problem is one of the crucial ancient research in psychology. The mind-body problem theory identifies that every individual has a body and a mind (Reason, 2019). Plato and Aristotle are the distinguished philosophers who significantly contributed to the understanding of this theory. Equally important, the research questions and hypotheses these philosophers identified have remained significant in recent research in psychology. This segment will compare and contrast Plato's and Aristotle's views on the Mind-Body problem. Lastly, this part shall also compare why the issue is still so crucial within the field of psychology currently.
Significant differences exist between Plato's and Aristotle's forms and ideas regarding the mind and body. Foremost, Plato considers true forms eternal and transcendent (Reason, 2019). "For Plato, essences corresponded to the forms that existed independently of nature, and that could be arrived at only by ignoring sensory experience and turning one's thoughts inward" (Hergenhahn, 2009, 50). According to Plato, these true forms can be accessed directly and indirectly through intuition and reason. "SOCRATES: And in this process of acclimatization he would first and most easily be able to look at (1) shadows and after that (2) the images of people and the rest of things as they are reflected in water"(Sheehan, 2021, 3). In Plato's work in the Allegory of the Cave, he used these metaphorical words to stress his argument that people can access the mind through reason and intuition. In contrast, Aristotle connotes that the mind can form ideas from the soul (Pinker, 2006). In this case, Aristotle refers to the soul as a place of ideas. Unlike Plato's point, these ideas are accessed through intuition and are not separate. This scenario demonstrates the differences between Plato's and Aristotle's forms and ideas concerning the mind and body.
Plato refers to the mind as the soul, while Aristotle connotes a significant difference between the two. "Because science depends on empirical observation, Plato's philosophy did little to promote science and much to inhibit it. Plato created a dualism that divided the human into a body, which was material and imperfect, and a mind (soul), which contained pure knowledge. Furthermore, the rational soul was im- mortal. Had philosophy remained unencumbered by theological concerns, perhaps Plato's theory would have been challenged by subsequent philosophers and gradually displaced by more tempered philosophic views. Aristotle went a long way in modifying Plato's position, but the challenge was aborted. The mysticism of early Christianity was combined with Platonic philosophy, creating un- challengeable religious dogma. When Aristotle's writings were rediscovered centuries later, they were carefully modified and assimilated into church dogma. It was not until the Renaissance that Platonism (and Aristotelianism) was finally questioned openly and largely discarded" (Hergenhahn, 2009, 49). Gut et al. (2021) support Aristotle's views, claimi...