Edith Stein's contribuitions to the epistemology of sciences and to scientific psychology

Abstract

The contradictory aspects and the non-solved questions of scientific psychology exist since its beginning, because they are results of the rupture that occurred between that discipline and philosophy. The retaken of the mind-body issue is fundamental to scientific psychology, due to the divisions that this science has been through in the past and even in the present days, revealing the undetermined nature of its object of study, which, throughout its existence, has already been called soul, mind, consciousness, behavior. The mind-body matter that arose in classic philosophy, took over many features throughout the centuries, and influenced the authors of the emergent scientific psychology in late 19th century. Therefore, this theme is relevant to psychology, because it refers to the nature of the object that this science seeks to understand. The phenomenological purpose of the conception of things and the individuals of knowledge, in this way, can greatly contribute to the discussions about the theme. The necessity to retake the ontological questions about the constitution of human being is asserted in phenomenological school, in as much the theme is fundamental to the comprehension of the scientific identity of psychology. This research's intend will be the discussion about the epistemological consequences to psychology, deriving from the considerations about human being's ontology comprehended in Edith Stein's Introduction to Philosophy. The procedure of historical study will be used to the achievement of the present project, which will seek for sources related to the theme. After localization, obtaining and selection of the sources, it will be made lectures, analyses and interpretations of the texts, besides structuring synopsis for the purpose of set in order the information for the ulterior composition of the dissertation. Key-words: mind-body problem; human being's ontology; psychology; Edith Stein. (AU)