Background
Stumpf, Karl was born in 1848 in Wiesenthied, near Wurzburg.
Stumpf, Karl was born in 1848 in Wiesenthied, near Wurzburg.
Professor of Philosophy, University of Wurzburg, 1873. Professor of Philosophy, University of Prague, 1879. Professor of Philosophy, University of Halle.
1884; Professor of Philosophy, University of Munich, 1889. Professor of Philosophy, University of Berlin.
Stumpf’s influence on the evolution of psychology in general was somewhat limited because his principal interests centred on the psychology of tone and music. Indeed most of his writings relate to that specific field. His systematic works have enhanced the understanding of tone-combinations, and the science of psychophysics in particular. His importance stems from his introduction of phenomenology to the field of psychology. Stumpf interprets phenomenology as a propaedeutic of science, including psychology. Specifically, he held that phenomenology descriptively treats primary and secondary phenomena, or acts—echoing Brentano rather than Husserl. Primary phenomena are what are immediately present to the senses. Secondary phenomena are the images of the primary phenomena. Given that these phenomena do not causally depend on themselves, phenomenology should limit itself to analysing the nature, relations and the structural laws of their being, while leaving psychology to investigate the non-phenomenal elements these phenomena depend on. The advantages of this programme of what has been called Stumpf’s ‘experimental phenomenology’ are that for the first time it opened up the possibility: of studying phenomena that are not covered by psychology or the physical sciences; of analysing neutral phenomena that are the basis of the sciences; and of exploring these neutral domains in a systematic manner. Some of Stumpfs influence on psychology manifested itself through his students, Wolfgang Köhler and Kurt Koffka, the Gestaltists.