Beyond mechanism and dualism: rethinking the scientific foundations of psychology

Loss of certainty in science and the philosophy of science has generated number of technical and popular works over the past two decades arguing that contemporary physics paints a relational rather than mechanistic picture of natural phenomena. Assertions that scientific framework based on Newtonian–Cartesian world views are now outmoded challenge scientists to examine basic principles, assumptions and methods informing their interpretive framework. This paper considers some of the scientific foundations of contemporary psychology, especially in terms of its orientation towards calls for a relational framework in which its subject matter might be examined and explained.