The Strand Study Bible

ECCLESIASTES ECCLESIASTES trying to reconcile them. Most philosophers had become skeptics, taking either the stoical position of simply accepting one’s lot in life with courage, or the epicurean viewpoint that mental or physical pleasure is the only important goal of life ( Acts 17:18 ). Middle Ages Although medieval times produced some great thinkers like Anselm, Abelard, and Thomas Aquinas, most philosophers of that era did nothing more than argue endlessly over the issues raised by the early Greeks. 14 th -16 th centuries The philosophical endeavors of man changed as a result of the great revival of art, literature, and learning, which took place in Europe during the 14 th -16 th centuries. Two distinct philosophies became popular during that time: speculation and empiricism . A French philosopher and mathematician by the name of Rene Descartes (AD 1595-1650) in agreement with Socrates and Plato proposed the doctrine of innate ideas in his work called A Discourse on Method . Believing knowledge is preexisting (that is, “nature” shapes our psyche more than “nurture”), Descartes, like Socrates, taught speculation , the view that the mind was separate from the body and that how you thought, felt, and acted was due to a predetermined psychology, that is, you were born with a preexisting inborn knowledge (you were what you were because of your DNA). However, across the English Channel in Britain, science was taking a more down-to-earth form, centered on experiment, experience, and common-sense judgment. Francis Bacon (AD 1561-1626) and John Locke (AD 1632-1704) both taught what Aristotle believed – The mind acts only on what has come in through the senses. This idea formed modern empiricism , the view that knowledge originates in experience and that the mind at birth is a blank slate – a “white paper” – upon which experience writes. 19 th century Then came the birth of modern psychology in the late 1800s, as we know it. Wilhelm Wundt, a middle-aged German professor, established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig, Germany, and before long this new science of psychology became organized into different branches, or schools of thought, each promoted by pioneering thinkers. These early schools included structuralism , functionalism , behaviorism , and psychoanalysis . Since then psychology has developed along many lines. Dr. David G. Myers in Psychology summarizes this modern development of psychology as: …psychology is not easily defined. 5 With over one million books already published (and counting), modern psychology has become a menagerie (a collection of thoughts) concerning man believing man to be nothing more than the sum total of his environment (nurture) and bodily chemistry (nature). 20 th century After beginning as a “science of mental life,” psychology evolved in the 1920s into a “science of observable behavior.” After “rediscovering” the mind in the 1960s, psychology now views itself as a “science of behavior and mental processes.” Truly, the philosophical endeavor (modern psychology) is “ like chasing the wind .” Interestingly enough, the wisest man to ever live warned us not to “chase the wind,” yet people three thousand years later are still trying, as they search for enduring fulfillment. 1:15 No one will ever ( cannot ) understand God and all that He is or does ( Deut 29:29 and Eccl 7:13). 1008

1 Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary . Vol 3. Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co. 1983. Print. 2 The History of the World in Two Hours (Discovery Channel) 3 George Orwell quote 4 Henry M. Morris, William W. Boardman, Jr., and Robert F. Koontz, Science and Creation , San Diego, CA, Creation-Science Research Center, 1971. Print. 5 Myers, David G. Psychology , NY, NY, Worth Pub. 1986. Print. 6 “Omar N. Bradley quote.” BrainyQuote.com . (2009). BrainyMedia.com. 15 Apr 2009 .