title: Théodule Ribot's ambiguous positivism: philosophical and epistemological strategies in the founding of French scientific psychology.
abstract: Théodule Ribot (1839-1916) is regarded by many historians of psychology as the "father" of the discipline in France. Ribot contributed to the development of a "new psychology" independent from philosophy, relying on the methods of the natural sciences. However, such an epistemological transition encountered fierce opposition from both the champions of the old-fashioned metaphysical psychology and the representatives of the "scientific spirit." This article focuses on the objections raised by the latter, and especially philosophers of science, against the possibility of a scientific psychology. For instance, according to Auguste Comte, psychology does not satisfy certain basic methodological requirements. To overcome these objections, Ribot, in his La Psychologie Anglaise Contemporaine (1870/1914), devised an epistemological strategy that amounted to invoking criticisms of Comte's views made by other representatives of the positivist school, such as John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer.
authors.affiliation: London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Guillin
mesh_terms: D005602:France; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D019359:Knowledge; D010684:Philosophy / Q000266:history*; D011584:Psychology / Q000266:history*; D012586:Science / Q000266:history