A timeless epistemology of psychology

Abstract

This review evaluates Psicologia: uma (nova) introdução (Psychology: a (new) introduction) by Brazilian authors Luís C. Figueiredo and Pedro de Santi (2013). The work presents a historical-critical perspective on psychology, arguing for its establishment as a science in the 19th century, while also acknowledging its foundational roots in Antiquity. It explores essential sociocultural preconditions, such as the rise and subsequent crisis of privatized subjectivity, which propelled its development. The challenges in delimiting psychology's specific object and methods (mentioning, for example, W. Wundt and behaviorism) to establish it as an autonomous discipline are detailed. The analysis also encompasses the consolidation of psychology as a profession and its impact as a cultural phenomenon, alerting to the risks of simplification and distortion. The review notes a possible influence of the authors' psychodynamic orientation on the interpretation of other epistemological schools; however, it concludes that the book remains an indispensable and updated reference for understanding the philosophical and theoretical bases of modern psychology, underscoring its continued relevance.