Marginality in Philosophy and Psychology: The Limits of Psychological Explanation

This book discusses marginality from an analytic perspective and draws on canonical theories by various authors to explore the challenges of conceptualizing the emergence of human abilities and the complexities of psychosis. It argues that interpretation is not a viable route psychology can take at the margins and calls for a clearer view of explanatory options in such cases.

Format: Hardback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 05 May 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This book is a significant contribution to ongoing debates on marginality among psychiatrists, psychologists, social scientists, and philosophers. Psychology often engages in overambitious theorizing, driven by a perceived need to justify its scientific credentials. George Tudorie's work exemplifies this, particularly through his examination of the cases of preverbal children and mentally ill patients. Tudorie challenges the tendency to apply overarching and unifying explanations to marginalized subjects, advocating instead for granting them their proper explanatory autonomy.

In his exploration of recent cognitive theories on early development in children, Tudorie highlights the challenges inherent in conceptualizing the emergence of human abilities. He demonstrates how cognitive accounts of psychosis, built upon the typical concepts of 'belief-desire-intention psychology,' eventually falter. Through this analysis, Tudorie reveals that interpretation is not a viable route psychology can take at the margins and calls for a clearer understanding of explanatory options in such cases.

This book offers valuable insights into the complexities of marginality and provides a thought-provoking perspective on the study of human behavior and mental phenomena. Its interdisciplinary approach, drawing on canonical theories by a diverse range of authors, makes it an essential resource for scholars and practitioners in the fields of psychology, philosophy, and social sciences.

Weight: 582g
Dimension: 163 x 241 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350155121