Karl Marx and Wilhelm Dilthey on the socio-historical conceptualization of the mind

Teo, Thomas (2001) Karl Marx and Wilhelm Dilthey on the socio-historical conceptualization of the mind, in Green, Christopher and Shore, Marlene and Teo, Thomas, Eds. The transformation of psychology: Influences of 19th-century philosophy, technology and natural science, pages pp. 195-218. American Psychological Association.

Abstract

This paper focuses on scientific alternatives to experimental psychology by analyzing the conceptualization of the socio-cultural mind as outlined by Marx and Dilthey and suggesting that psychology’s move to natural science was premature. Commonalties and differences between Karl Marx’s (1818-1883) and Wilhelm Dilthey’s (1833-1911) conceptualizations of the mind are discussed. While both agreed upon the socio-historical character of the mind and its embeddedness in human life activity, these thinkers did not agree upon the concepts of society, history, and action. Similarly, whereas both shared a basic methodological perspective their concrete methods differed in important respects.