Human ways of thinking as a research subject

The philosophy of the mind has been one of the most popular philosophical disciplines in recent years and this applies to the field of the history of philosophy as well.

“Interest in the philosophical psychology of morality and politics in particular has increased. Many historical views have been placed under a different light when they are examined from the perspective of assumed psychological beliefs and not merely by analysing ethical or political concepts. New research results are based on the change of perspective,” says Academy Professor Simo Knuuttila, the Director of the Centre of Excellence in Philosophical Psychology, Morality and Politics: Human Conduct in the History of Philosophy.

The Centre of Excellence studies the psychological assumptions behind ethical and social philosophical theories in the history of philosophy from the Antiquity to the Enlightenment. Philosophy differs from other sciences in that discussion about the classics is part of the philosophical activity.  

Human ways of thinking carry with it a layered tradition, knowledge of which sheds light on the basis of thinking in our own times. In philosophy, many modern ways of thinking were born in the period stretching from the 14th century all the way to Kant.

“This is why Kant’s philosophy is considered a kind of internal landmark in the philosophical tradition. Many disciplines split from natural philosophy in the Early Modern Period to form separate disciplines. As regards psychology, this development took place after Kant. This project deals with psychology before it evolved into a modern scientific discipline,” Knuuttila explains.

Finland has an exceptional number of experts on the philosophical psychology of the Antiquity, Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. The Knuuttila-led research project examines the long paths of development from the Ancient philosophy to the Latin and Arabic philosophies in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance philosophy all the way to the 19th century.  

“Therefore, it is possible that our research changes the view on the development history of moral and social philosophy,” says Knuuttila.

The Finnish Centre of Excellence in Philosophical Psychology, Morality and Politics: Human Conduct in the History of Philosophy, University of Helsinki: The unit of 32 researchers is divided into four research groups according to historical eras. The groups draw their members from the Department of Systematic Theology, Collegium for Advanced Studies, Departments of Social and Moral Philosophy and History, and the Renvall Institute at the University of Helsinki, as well as the Departments of History, Ethnology, Social Sciences, and Philosophy at the University of Jyväskylä.

The Centre is led by Academy Professor Simo Knuuttila, who has been Professor of Theological Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion at the University of Helsinki since 1982, an Academy Professor since 1994, and head of the History of Mind Research Unit since 2002. Knuuttila’s research focuses on the history of ancient and medieval philosophy. His major works include Modalities in Medieval Philosophy (1993) and Emotions in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (2004).

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Text: Arja-Leena Paavola
Photo: Veikko Somerpuro
Translation: Valtasana Oy