David Hartley (philosopher)

David Hartley (1705–1757) was an English philosopher, physician, and psychologist, best known for his work in associationism and the early development of empirical psychology. He is primarily noted for his influential book, "Observations on Man," published in 1749, where he sought to explain human thought and behavior through a mechanistic understanding of the mind. Hartley's philosophy was grounded in the notion that the mind operates through associations—connections formed between ideas based on experience.