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A Commentary on “Radical Behaviorism”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2022

Rochelle J. Johnson
Rochelle J. Johnson*
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
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Extract

B. F. Skinner is perhaps even more widely known for his views on science than for his experimental work. His comments on the role of theory in science have been labeled “anti-theoretical,” “ultra-empirical”, “non-theoretical,” “radical,” and worse. His position appears to be both extreme and untenable. Scriven [1] has given us a critique of Skinner that goes beyond mere labeling; it is an examination of the assumptions and implications of such a position.

Type
Discussion
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 30 , Issue 3 , July 1963 , pp. 274 - 285
Copyright
Copyright © Philosophy of Science Association 1963

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Footnotes

∗∗

Appreciation is expressed to Prof. M. Brodbeck, Philosophy Department, and Prof. K. MacCorquodale, Psychology Department, University of Minnesota, for a critical reading of the manuscript.

References

[1] Scriven, M., “A Study of Radical Behaviorism,” Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science. Edited by Feigl, H. and Scriven, M., University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1956.Google Scholar
[2] Skinner, B. F., “A Case History in Scientific Method,” The American Psychologist, Vol. 11, No. 5, May, 1956.10.1037/h0047662CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[3] Skinner, B. F., “Are Theories of Learning Necessary ?” Psychological Review, Vol. 57, No. 4, July, 1950.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
[4] Skinner, B. F., Behavior of Organisms, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1938.Google Scholar
[5] Skinner, B. F., and Ferster, C. B., Schedules of Reinforcement, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1957.Google Scholar
[6] Skinner, B. F., Science and Human Behavior, MacMillan, New York, 1953.Google Scholar
[7] Skinner, B. F., Verbal Behavior, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1957.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[8] Waismann, F., “Verifiability,” Logic and Language. Edited by Flew, A. G. N., Blackwell, Oxford, 1951.Google Scholar