Friedrich Albert Lange on neo-Kantianism, socialist Darwinism, and a psychology without a soul

Teo, Thomas (2002) Friedrich Albert Lange on neo-Kantianism, socialist Darwinism, and a psychology without a soul. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences 38:pp. 285-301.

Abstract

Friedrich Albert Lange was a German philosopher, political theorist, educator, and psychologist who had outlined an objective psychology in the 1860s. It is shown how some of the most important worldviews of the 19th century (Kantianism, Marxism, and Darwinism) were combined creatively in his thought system. He was crucial in the development of neo-Kantianism and incorporated psycho-physiological research on sensation and perception in order to defend Kant's epistemological idealism. Based on a critique of phrenology and philosophical psychology of his time Lange developed a program of a psychology without a soul. He suggested that only those phenomena that can be observed and controlled should be studied, that psychology should focus on actions and speech, and that for each psychological event the corresponding physical or physiological processes should be identified. Lange opposed introspection and subjective accounts and promoted experiments and statistics. He also promoted Darwinism for psychology while developing a socialist progressive-democratic reading of Darwin in his social theory. The implications of socialist Darwinism on Lange's conceptualization of race are discussed. Lange's prevalence in 19th century philosophy and psychology is summarized.