The Philosophical Legacy of Behaviorism

B Thyer

• 31 mei 1999
• 9780792357360

Samenvatting:

In the present volume, Bruce Thyer has brought together an impressive collection of original studies concerning philosophical aspects of behaviorism, which continues to exert considerable influence even in the era of the Cognitive Revolution.



This work describe the contributions of a behavioural perspective to the major issues of philosophy. Leading behavioural philosophers and psychologists have contributed chapters on: the origins of behaviourism as a philosophy of science; the basic principles of behaviourism; ontology; epistemology; values and ethics; free will, determinism and self-control; and language and verbal behaviour. A concluding chapter provides an overview of some scholarly criticisms of behavioural philosophy. Far from espousing a "black box" perspective on human cognition and philosophical reasoning, behaviourism (as derived from the works of B. F. Skinner) represents a contemporary and viable approach to conceptualizing important philosophical and psychological issues.