What was Bain’s philosophical goal? In what way might he be considered the first modern psychologist?
Alexander Bain was a Scottish philosopher. He was a prominent and innovative figure in the field of psychology and moral philosophy. He was the friend of John Stuart Mill. He was referred to as the first true psychologist and was the first to write a book on relation between mind and body.
There are many philosophers, who are familiar in the world of philosophy and one of them is Bain. He was most prominent mind in the field of moral philosophy and focused on both psychology and analytical philosophy. His philosophical works were too long and bulky to be used. His two major works were “The Senses and The Intellect” and “Emotions and The Will”. His primary goal was to understand and describe the correlation between physiological phenomena with the psychological phenomenon.
Like Hartley, Bain’s philosophical goal was to describe the relation between the physiological and the psychological processes. In his work, he described the correlation between the physiological processes with the mental and behavioral phenomenon. He was the first in Great Britain who applied physiology to the clarification of mental states.
He rejected the materialistic assumptions over the mental states. He explained that the traditional psychology could be understood by the associations between physiology and psychology. He was responsible for the application of scientific method to the study of psychology. He pointed out that mental thoughts and processes are not spontaneous, and are only due to the physical sensations. This idea made him to be considered as a first modern psychologist.