Understanding Educational Psychology

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This book addresses the agenda of the late L. S. Vygotsky, who sought to integrate the ideas of philosopher Spinoza into a holistic psychological framework. This framework eliminates the dichotomy between body and mind, intellect and affect, and individual and social dimensions. It posits a single substance that manifests in various forms within the thinking body, encompassing both biology and culture, with cultural manifestations reliant on social existence. Current educational psychology often grapples with contradictions stemming from the body-mind divide and the tension between individual and collective experiences, as well as between structure and process. These issues are echoed in constructivist approaches, which tend to exacerbate rather than resolve these dichotomies by focusing on individual and intellectualized participation in cultural contexts. Vygotsky's later work embraced a Spinozist perspective, emphasizing that there is only one substance manifesting as both body (material, biological) and mind (societal, cultural). This perspective challenges traditional cognitive science questions about symbol grounding, revealing them as theoretical artifacts. By examining empirical materials from various learning environments—parent-child interactions, schools, and workplaces—this book investigates the potential and implications of this non-dualist approach for educational research and practice.