Behaviourism

Question 1

What is Behaviourism?

Answer 1

Behaviourism is the belief that talk about mental states is reducible to talk about behaviour.

Question 2

Hard behaviourism
(Hempal)

Answer 2

• Hard behaviourism is concerned with actual behaviour.
• Hempal wants to get rid of any words that elate to mental states and eplace it with scientific language.
• Immediate verification.

Question 3

Soft behaviourism
(Ryle)

Answer 3

• Concerned with potential behaviourr
• Doesnt appeal to immediate veification
• Advocates for ordinry language.

Question 4

Issues with behaviourism

Answer 4

-Fails to take into account the gap between mind and behaviour
-Fails to take the mind seriously
-Fails to take potential behaviour into accpunt
-Too simple

Question 5

Sttengths of behaviourism

Answer 5

Qvoids cartedian dualism issues:
•location: talk about mental states is reducible to talk about behaviour which can he physically located.
•Other minds, which becomes other behaviour.
•Interaction: which is entirely physical.

Soft behaviourism does all this while avoid flaws of hard behaviourism

Question 6

Issue:
Problem of defining mental states due to circularity

Answer 6

For 3xample someone screaming when they are near snakes. For a behaviourist, the fear would be equivalent to their behaviour. But this cannot be the case as their behaviour can onky be inderstood in terms of the intention (fear of snakes) that causes it. They cannott be the same thing, behaviourism is wrong. Having a behavioural disposition to scream when near a snake would mean they are ‘behaving scared’. But if we ask what scared behaviour is, it is arguably difficult to define without referring to the feeling of fear itself, which is circular.

Question 7

Issue:
Problem defining mental states because of multiple realisability in behaviour

Answer 7

For example, crying with happiness. A hard behaviourist would have to conclude that the person was genuinly sad - which is clearly wrong.

Another example is imagining red. Theres is no associated behaviour. Soft behaviourism takes into account potential behaviour, which solves M.R but not circularity.

Question 8

Issue: Assymetry between self kniwledge and other peoples mebtal states

Answer 8

If talk about mental states is reducible to talk of behaviour, i could know as much about another persons ms as my own by observing their behaviour. This is pbviously absurd, apart from maybe physologists. Also, we dont jeed to observe ohr behaviour to know our mental state, we do this via introspection. H.B doesnt solve this, introspection is vague and needs to be replaced with a public and objective ananlysis. S.B could use potential behaviour, such as vocalising thoughts, but this leads us back to the issue.

Question 9

Issue:
Distinctness of mental states from behaviour.

Answer 9

A zombie woukd not reflect their mental state, neither would their potential behaviour. So H.B would be wrong.
Ryle cant solve zombie but actor kay be feeling it for real.

Superspartans’ behaviour would have H.B conclude that they have no mental state. S.B coukd use potential again but what about desire w no action (smoking).