The Mind: Behaviorism
August 29th 2008 00:31
Behaviorism was one 20th Century attempt to deal with the problem of the mind. For the hardcore philosopher, there are three distinct types of of Behaviorism. For the purposes of this blog, we will only deal with what is generally referred to as Psychological Behaviorism.
This type of Behaviorism is usually ascribed to the Psychologists John Watson and B. F. Skinner. What they assert is effectively the position that whatever mental states may exist (if they exist at all) are not publicly observable and, therefore, beyond the reach of the scientific method. What is publicly observable is behavior and, as such, behavior is all we have upon which to base our conclusions. What they have done is to effectively bracket the question of the existence of the mind entirely and say, "We can't get to it, so we will ignore or deny it's existence in favor of observable data."
While some behaviorists are not willing to deny outright the possibility of internal mental states, it is not within the doctrine of pure behaviorism to endorse or acknowledge it. As such, Behaviorism, while parading itself as a theory of mind, is for all intents and purposes a theory of avoidance of the mind.
This type of Behaviorism is usually ascribed to the Psychologists John Watson and B. F. Skinner. What they assert is effectively the position that whatever mental states may exist (if they exist at all) are not publicly observable and, therefore, beyond the reach of the scientific method. What is publicly observable is behavior and, as such, behavior is all we have upon which to base our conclusions. What they have done is to effectively bracket the question of the existence of the mind entirely and say, "We can't get to it, so we will ignore or deny it's existence in favor of observable data."
| 44 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
