Updated: September 3, 2002

Fall 2000

WEEK THREE ASSIGNMENTS

3.1 Read Brennan, Chapters 4 and 5, p.52 – 88

3.2 Present Service Learning Project Proposal - How will you work with another person in this course?

3.3 Group Discussion Paper:

a.What role did the church have during the Inquisition and how did the Church influence intellectual activity during this period? Can you make any connections to the current clergy scandals in the church today? Document your position with material from the text and online articles.

b. What psychological theories today have been influenced by this reawakening period in history? Describe and give some examples? Submit your answers to the CLiC message board.

c. Choose one of the theorists in Chapter four or five and ask him or her to define the role of soul in his or her life. What is the purpose of soul? What role does it play in his or her personal daily life? Document your findings and compare them to your experience with your view of the soul. Tell us what you learned about yourself doing this exercise.

LECTURETTE: CHAPTER 4 AND 5

Church and intellectual development: The new synthesis of ideas

Chapter four outlines the foundation of modern science. It traces two major shifts , " The Medieval period saw the beginning of constitutional democracy, romantic love, individualism, and experimental science. During the Renaissance, learning and scholarship left the confines of the church to become again the property of lay society concerned with humanity's nature and needs rather than God's ( Leahy, p. 101).

The foundation of our modern Western world was laid during this period. Some of today's views about Christianity prevail today, which many of us recognize are important to our current belief system. The church began to have a more " profound influence on intellectual formation". Several religious orders became the center of intellectual development while other parts of the church were concerned about controlling the people. As Brennan says, " A second Church development at this time concerned the attempt to keep the belief of the people free from error, as defined by the Church.(p.54)

Over the years a system of censorship evolved called the Inquisition, which "subordinated all human activity to the doctrines of the Church" (Brennan p. 55). What shadows of the Inquisition are seen in today's church? How is education and the church entwined in our current culture? Can the current obsession with the middle east terrorists be a vestige of the Inquisition? I do not know.

When in pain, ignore it!

During the Medieval period, there was much pain and corruption encouraging people to turn away from the observable world and refocus on spiritual issues using introspection. Which current school of psychology refers to the act of introspection? Taking into consideration some of the current analytical thinking, could the turning away from the observable be a culture in denial? Could this concept be the beginning of the cognitive school of psychology? What do you think?

Triumph of Reason - How things change!

Finally, Thomas Aquinas, the Dominican philosopher, " argued for two types of knowledge. Sensory knowledge, shared with other animals, provides information about physical reality, whereas human reason provides abstractions of universal principles" (Brennan p. 62). Overtime, Brennan reports, "..reason triumphed over faith and the age of science began" (p71). The foundation for modern Western psychology was outlined during the period and its influences and shadows impact us today. Think about some of your key life influences from your personal life map. Can you see the shadows from the past?

Do not take my word for Aquinas's viewpoint - go to the source!

For additional reading and questions about Aquinas's position, CLICK HERE for Aquinas's original article.

While reading the article notice the question and answer method to his approach. Can you identify his view on the relationship between soul and body through this passage? How is this related to current theories of human learning ( see Brennan p. 62 for ideas)?

Hopefully, after reading Chapter four, you will have a better sense how contemporary psychological theories can be traced to philosophers such as Aquinas….HINT: sensing and learning, perception, learning theories and motivation are a few topics addressed in this chapter. Many of these topics reflect the major subjects in your Introduction to Psychology course you took several years ago.