From Introspection to Experiment. Wundt and Avenarius’ Debate on The Definition of Psychology

This paper provides an account of the debate between Wilhelm Wundt and Richard Avenarius on the definition of psychology. It shows that – despite the fame of the former as the founder of experimental psychology – it was the latter who first defined this science on the basis of the experimental method. Moreover, the paper reconstructs how Avenarius elevated physiological experiment to the rank of a paradigm, using it to define not only psychology but also the relationships between this science and knowledge in general. In so doing, Avenarius elaborated a groundbreaking conception of psychology that anticipated several topics of later debate on this science. Finally, we will show how Avenarius’ attention to the interactions between philosophy, psychology, and the concrete practice of science can still be instructive today.