Post by patricia on Oct 21, 2017 2:13:15 GMT
Moghaddam (p267) questions whether it is true that traditional Psychology is politically neutral. Can you think of any examples have we considered earlier in the course that suggest that traditional Psychology may sometimes hold political biases?
The popular study of phrenology in the late 19th century to early 20th century is an example of how Psychology may sometimes hold political biases. Phrenology, while useful in that it was the first instance of attempting to think about the brain having different parts that accomplished different tasks, was completely baseless as a science. Instead, it was essentially a way for eurocentric rasicm to find a way to justify itself through science, and "prove" that non-white races were inferior or less intelligent. This pseudoscience helped to justify many horrific practices of the time, including slavery and the mass genocide of native populations in North America.
The popular study of phrenology in the late 19th century to early 20th century is an example of how Psychology may sometimes hold political biases. Phrenology, while useful in that it was the first instance of attempting to think about the brain having different parts that accomplished different tasks, was completely baseless as a science. Instead, it was essentially a way for eurocentric rasicm to find a way to justify itself through science, and "prove" that non-white races were inferior or less intelligent. This pseudoscience helped to justify many horrific practices of the time, including slavery and the mass genocide of native populations in North America.