Outline

I. Atheistic and Theistic Psychology

1. Definition

Atheistic psychology prohibits the use of God as an explanatory concept for any phenomenon or theory in psychology. Theistic psychology makes use of knowledge about God from “scientific revelations” which are found in the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.

2. Example

Atheistic psychology is based on a negative bias toward god or creator of the universe. Theistic psychology is based on a positive bias toward these phenomenons.

3. My Opinion

Still our mind is quite uncertain, I think both approaches are very natural. Basically, I support the theistic approach as I have grown up in such a environment. Yet, it is important that the other approach should be respected as it gives us different viewpoints. Flexibility is a very important factor in further developing of science.

II. Positive and Negative Bias

1. Definition:

In positive bias, we must grant the possibility that a report we are interested in is scientifically accurate and honest. In negative bias, we think the report is based on fake data by dishonest people.

2. Example:

When meeting someone else, we tend to judge the person in his or her race, appearance, title, etc. Once we have a negative bias of the person, we are not open to the person, and do not tend to trust what the person says.

3. My Opinion:

Once we have a negative bias toward something, we are not able to have flexible attitudes to it. As a result, we could turn a blind eye to the truth behind it. This is the last thing we want to do.

III Monist and Dualist Approach

1. Definition:

The monist approach is that both the mind and the body are made of physical matter, space, and energy. The dualist approach is that the mind is of a different substance than the physical body, and lives or exists not in the natural world but in a world outside time and space.

2 Example:

The monist approach believes that our body is like machines and our mind is like fuel. That is both machine and fuel are made of physical substances. On the other hand, the dualist approach believes that our body can be like a machine, but its fuel (mind) is not physical matter.

3. My Opinion:

When we adopt the concept of theism, it is natural to adopt the dualism approach as it is easier to explain our invisible phenomena, which is our mind. The most significant finding for me this time is, both monist and dualist have several variations. The differences are very obvious but delicate; a further effort on my part is needed to understand these concepts.

References:

http://www.2think.org/hii/atheism.shtml

http://atheisme.ca/articles/dr/agnost_en.html

http://www.onemonkey.org/text/Can%20Machines.htm

Dr. James’ Home Page: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/leon.html

Class Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/classhome-g22.htm

My Home Page: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/459s2005/ito/home.htm