How has our understanding of the human mind changed over time? I have selected three books that trace how the human understanding of the human mind has evolved as European thinkers developed a scientific and empirical approach to psychology. For me, collecting books about ourselves is both an act of exploration and discovery (that I can do from home) and a method for learning intellectual history.
I have gathered close to 1,000 items that track the development of psychology as an idea and which touch on witchcraft, the Soul, Mesmerism, psychoanalysis, perception, and intelligence testing. I also collect examples of applied psychology including Vietnam-era US Army PsyOps manuals, the first editions of Edward Bernays’ publications on public relations, and a turn-of-the-century electric shock machine (to protect the collection).
I owe a debt of gratitude to Bill Schaberg at Athena Rare Books for his practical lessons on book collecting and to the psychology faculty at Baruch College for deepening my understanding of a complicated discipline. And I am grateful to the Council of the Grolier Club for accepting me as a member.
Aristotle. L’Anima d’Aristotele. Venice: Francesco Sansovino, 1551.
This work, published by Francesco Sansovino, is presented as a translation of Aristotle's On the Soul (De Anima), but it is actually a compendium of Aristotelian psychology. The name of the translator is not explicitly mentioned, though it is assumed to be Sansovino himself.
The work is conceived as a sort of introduction to Aristotle's Ethics. Aristotle viewed the soul as the essence or form of a living being, integral to its existence and inseparable from the body. Aristotle's approach was deeply biological, viewing the soul as the life force that animates the body, akin to a set of capabilities that define living organisms.
Sigmund Freud. Einführung in die Psychoanalyse (Introductory Lectures in Psychoanalysis). Leipzig Und Wien: Hugo Heller, 1916-1917
Freudian slips. Dreams. Neuroses. These 28 lectures offer a summary of his views of the unconscious, dreams, and the theory of neuroses, as well as offering some new technical material to the more advanced reader. The lectures became the most popular and widely translated of Freud’s works, but some of the positions outlined in the introductory lectures would subsequently be revised.
Early empirical psychology, particularly behaviorism, struggled to provide comprehensive theories that could explain the intricacies of human behavior and mental processes. The empirical methods were primarily focused on observable behavior and lacked depth in understanding the unconscious mind.This limitation left a gap in addressing the complexities of the human psyche, which was filled by Freudian psychology. Today few people consider Freud to be scientific, but he remains the most famous psychologist.
William James. The Principles of Psychology. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1890.
Arguably the most famous book in psychology, and one of the best written, Harvard’s William James published The Principles of Psychology in 1890. America was industrializing and science was ascending.His work laid the groundwork for modern psychology, aiming to ground the study of psychological phenomena in observable facts and biological processes.
William James reframed the concept of the soul within the context of psychology, focusing on observable phenomena and empirical methods. James advocates for an empirical approach to psychology, emphasizing observation and experience over introspection. He integrates physiological data and empirical observations to support his theories, marking a shift towards a more scientific understanding of psychology.
The understanding of the soul has evolved significantly from Aristotle's era to that of William James. Aristotle's integration of the soul with biological functions laid a foundational framework. By the time of William James, the focus had evolved from metaphysical speculation to empirical investigation and practical application in understanding human consciousness and behavior.
