Psychology Textbooks

These three selections of instructional texts from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries represent how psychology and physiology were historically taught (Psychologia Empirica, 1732, Psychologia Rationalis, 1734, Margarita Philosophica, 1517), and how mnemonic devices for memory and recall were used to aid students (Menmnosyne Hist, 1661). Each of these texts provides a building block for understanding, either of ourselves or our world.

Psychologia Empirica, Christian Wolff (1679 – 1754), 1732

Christian Wolff was a German philosopher at a time when there was much discussion on empirical and rational thought from philosophers such as Leibnez and Kant. An ontologist (“the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being”) and leader in the German Enlightenment, Wolff’s work focused on cognitive function in a way distinctive from the emphasis on the soul professed by his predecessors. Most notably, his two textbooks, Empirical Psychology (1732) and Rational Psychology (1734), demonstrate the belief that practical empirical accounts and rational, theoretical, ontological understanding of human behavior should be presented separately.

Psychologia Rationalis by Christian Wolff (1679-1754), 1734

Christian Wolff was a German philosopher at a time when there was much discussion on empirical and rational thought from philosophers such as Leibnez and Kant. Wolff authored two textbooks, Empirical Psychology (1732) and Rational Psychology (1734), demonstrating his belief that the two ideas, the practical empirical account and the rational, theoretical, ontological understanding of human behavior should be presented separately.

Margarita Philosophica, Gregor Reisch (1467-1525), 1517

Published in 1517, German monk and humanist scholar Reisch Gregor’s Margarita Philosophica is one of the first encyclopedias of knowledge produced in the West. Written in Latin as a dialogue between student and teacher, Gregor’s text has twelve sections, one for each of the common topics of learning at the time including psychology, physiology and ethics.

The physiology section in particular features a somewhat jarring woodcut of the human head depicting the Medieval and Renaissance era cell doctrine of brain function. Under this theory, the powers of human cognition and memory were stored in “ventricles” or hollow spaces within the brain. These early theories of brain function were accepted as fact for decades, that is until Vesalius and his De Humani showed the world otherwise.

Menmnosyne Hist [oria, i.e. Mnemnosyne Historia] by C.K., 1661

Menmnosyne Historia (1661), whose author is only identified as C.K., is an example of the emblematic teaching method of the Baroque period. This method employed fables, pictures, letters, and emblems to aid the memory of students. This work presents the history of the world from creation to the end of the Thirty Years War. Current evidence suggests that mnemonic devices are highly effective in improving retention and recall of information.