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The rise and fall of moral algebra: Francis Hutcheson and the mathematization of psychology
Author(s) -
Brooks G. P.,
Aalto S. K.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of the history of the behavioral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1520-6696
pISSN - 0022-5061
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6696(198107)17:3<343::aid-jhbs2300170306>3.0.co;2-8
Subject(s) - statement (logic) , magnum opus , epistemology , history of psychology , psychology , philosophy , cognitive science , computer science , artificial intelligence
Until recently historians of psychology have typically argued that mathematical analysis in psychology originated with Herbart in nineteenth‐century Germany. Among those who are now recognized to have pedated Herbart is Francis Hutcheson. In 1725, Hutcheson published a mathematical statement of his theory of the psychological basis of moral behavior and judgment. Hutcheson's attempt to present a theory of social behavior in mathematical terms is described and an analysis is presented of the background which led Hutcheson to adopt such a mathematical format. The work of several imitators of this aspect of Hutcheson's opus is considered and the role of his critic, Thomas Reid, in halting such mathematizing efforts for several decades in Britain is noted.