Final answer:
Wilhelm Wundt and William James are generally credited with founding psychology as a science and academic discipline, transitioning it away from its roots in philosophy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Founders of Psychology as a Science
The two men generally credited as the founders of psychology as a separate science and academic discipline are Wilhelm Wundt and William James. Wundt, who is often acknowledged for creating the first laboratory dedicated to psychological research, believed in the structuralist approach, aiming to understand the human mind by dissecting experiences into their basic elements. William James, on the other hand, was an influential American psychologist who contributed significantly to the development of psychology as a distinct field of study, differing from Wundt's perspective and introducing his own ideas like functionalism.
Psychology's evolution into a recognized academic discipline allowed it to differentiate from philosophy, its precursor. Prior to Wundt and James, scholars who were interested in the mind would typically engage in philosophical inquiry. However, through the establishment of dedicated psychological laboratories and the systematic study of the mind, psychology forged a new path as a science.