We Still Aren’t Certain What We’re Doing: Reflections on the Complexities of Psychological Science and Intersubjective Epistemology

Abstract

I suggest that Mascolo and Kallio make an excellent case for the intersubjective foundation of science but that the implications of their position are not limited to psychology. First, the process by which we come to “know” other persons may take different forms. Second, corroboration of experiential accounts requires a shared body of meanings and resources, agreed upon standards for evaluating evidence in any science, not just psychological. Additionally, I emphasize that to deal adequately with the complexities of knowledge construction in psychology or any science, one needs to account for imaginal powers and their role in discovery and verification along with understanding the world (natural or social) as structured and mediated by social meanings.

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Notes on contributors

Lisa M. Osbeck

Lisa Osbeck is a Professor of Psychology, University of West Georgia, and a Fellow of the Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh.