The 6 most important differences between Psychology and Philosophy

How exactly do these two disciplines differ?

It is easy to confuse them psychology y philosophyPerhaps because both can be applied in a wide variety of fields and address issues that go beyond what is material and constant over time. There is a vague notion that both can give advice and propose norms, behavioral guidelines and life lessons, but knowing where the field of study of one begins and where the other ends is not so simple.

However, this does not mean that there are no clear lines separating each of the two. clear lines separating each of their realms of research and application.. Here I propose six differences between psychology and philosophy that can serve to better orient you in this type of questions.

Main differences between philosophy and psychology

This is a summary of the ideas to keep in mind in order to distinguish between philosophy and psychology.

1. They are learned differently

The teaching of psychology is based on methodologies that incorporate very specific tools that go far beyond the careful reading of texts: experimentation with volunteers, observation of body parts under a microscope, use of statistical programs, etc.

Philosophy, although it can also make use of certain instruments such as those mentioned above, does not have such a broad consensus in the scientific community, is not so widely agreed on the methodologies to be used.. If anything defines it, it is precisely its flexibility in establishing what its purpose should be and what the ways of arriving at it should be (i.e., reflection on that itself can already be considered philosophy).

Thus, while in psychology there is a more or less clear accumulation of knowledge, in philosophy it is possible to make important advances starting almost from scratch. For example, while learning psychology implies keeping abreast of the most important research taking place in recent years or even months, in philosophy this is not necessary. As a consequence, work in philosophy can lead to lines of research that are relatively isolated from each other, whereas in psychology the creation of knowledge that can lead to consensus is encouraged.

2. Research is carried out with different methodologies

One of the main differences between psychology and philosophy lies in the type of methodologies that, in practice, are used in each. Philosophy is independent of the scientific methodIt works rather with conceptual categories and the relationship established between them, and therefore can make use of practically any instrument and method for its research. Psychology, on the other handpsychology, on the other hand relies on empiricism to develop hypotheses about human behavior and perception. human behavior and perception. Therefore, quantitative (especially experimental) research and statistics are of great importance in psychological research, which means that taking small steps in the knowledge of the psyche is expensive and involves many people.

3. Its objectives are different

Classically, philosophy has had intellectual aimsIts major goal has been the creation of philosophical categories and systems that serve to explain reality (or realities) in the best possible way. Philosophy tends to study a whole, rather than specific components of reality. It can also serve as a tool for collective emancipation, as proposed by some philosophical currents inherited from Marxism, and therefore addresses the usefulness of certain cultural and interpretative frameworks to understand reality.

Psychology, in spite of having an infinite number of applications, limits an object of study. object of study more specific: Human behavior and its emotional and subjective dimension.. Therefore, its hypotheses and theories are always based on the human body or the subjectivity of people, alone or in relation to each other. It almost never deals with the search for a reality totally alien to the existence of people, something that historically has occurred in some philosophical proposals.

4. They use different languages

A large part of psychology consists of research by means of the scientific method, and therefore it seeks empirical bases that help it to propose theoretical models that are well received by the scientific community. As a consequence, agreement on the meaning of words is constantly being sought, in order to speed up research in certain areas and so that several researchers from various parts of the world can collaborate in the same line of research.

Philosophy, on the other hand can be found in philosophical systems formulated by a single person.. That is why the main personalities in philosophy use a personal and idiosyncratic language, not consensual with others, and the same word or expression can mean very different things depending on the philosopher who formulates it. Students of philosophy need to spend a lot of time studying each of the authors before they understand what they are referring to in each case.

5. Philosophy is all-pervasive, psychology is specific.

Philosophy provides all sciences with the analytical categories from which to study reality, while it need not be affected by scientific discoveries. But philosophy goes beyond science and came into existence before science. In fact, in writing this text, I am doing something more akin to philosophy than to psychologybecause I am deciding from which perspective to approach each of the concepts, which aspects to emphasize and which to omit.

The psychology, as part of one of the different layers of science, is traversed by these philosophical debates, which do not necessarily have to be part of the which need not necessarily form part of the subject it seeks to study. However, it goes beyond philosophical activity by attempting to create knowledge through science. However, this information provided by research (and the data on which this information is based) must be interpreted from a certain point of view, and knowing which is the best one forces researchers to ask themselves philosophical questions.

6. Philosophy deals with morality, psychology does not.

Philosophy wants to explain everything that can be explained, and this includes the study of the right ways to behave. That is why many of the great figures of this discipline have offered their ways of understanding the categories of "good" and "bad", sometimes with the intention of creating universal ethical criteria, and sometimes with the pretension of creating only a morality for certain human communities.

Psychology stays out of this kind of debate and, in any case, will provide information on what kind of behaviors can be considered "good" and "bad", will give information on what kind of behaviors can be useful in approaching a goal.adopting a more pragmatic logic. Moreover, it is possible for a researcher to study the psychological foundations behind the different types of morality in different cultures, but he or she will not study morality itself, but its origins.

In addition, contributions from psychology can be used to propose the establishment of ethical scales and theories of morality.

• If you are curious to know how psychology and philosophy are alikewe recommend you to take a look at this article