The first attempt to interpret man’s menial prosesses in a systematic materialistic way was that of David Hartley in his Observations on Man (1749). This book paved the way for the seperation of psychology from philosophy and for its study as a branch of natural science. It had a great influence not only on philosophy and psychology but.also on education.

Hartley was concerned to find a materialistic, that is a physiological, explanation of the mental processes. He was familiarwith contemporary advances in science, in particular with Newton’s work in mechanics and, more important, in optics, and with the fields of physiology and anatomy which were already beginning to cast a considerable light on the functioning of the nervous system.

Hartley’s assopiationist theory provided an explanation of elementary thought processes. By an eleboration of this theory Hartley evolved a physiological explanation of the development of die most complex (including abstract) ideas. This objective approach, which attempted to lay bare the material causation of thought processes, was the first significant step in removing the aura of mystery which surrounded the mental functions. Hartley wrote that this theory of vibrations was an hypothesis which seemed to explain how ideas were generated and associated, but that “the doctrine of association may be laid down as a certain foundation, and a clue to direct our future enquiries, whatever becomes that of vibration”.

Exercises

1. Translate from English into Russian the following words and phrases and find in the text or make up your own sentences with the phrases

an explanation, a physiological explanation, an explanation of elementary thought processes, to find a materialistic explanation, to provide an explanation, to evolve an explanation; natural sciences; die methods of science, the progress of science, a branch of science, contemporary advances in science; a theory, a scientific theory, the eleboration of the theory, the theory of vibrations, to formulate a theory, to develop a theory, to test a theoiy, to combine theory and practice; a foundation, the foundation to inquiries, to lay (down) the foundation to direct future inquiries; an idea, complex ideas, abstract ideas, to generate ideas, to associate ideas; causation, the material causation, the material causation of thought processes, to lay bare the material causation of thought processes; an approach, an objective approach, ascientific approach, an objective approach to the problem; mental functions, the functioning of the nervous system, the separation of psychology from philosophy; the works in mechanics, the works in optics, to pave the way for, to have a great influence on, to be familiar with, to cast a light on, to remove the aura of mystery.

2. Find in the text English equivalents to the following Russian phrases

психические процессы, материалистическое объяснение пси-