Dennett - Skinner Skinned Flashcards
Behaviourism
Free will
The concept that individuals have the power to make choices unconstrained by external determinants
Behavioral science
The scientific study of behavior, often utilizing empirical methods to understand and predict human actions
Mentalism
A philosophical stance that attributes significance to mental states or processes, which Skinner critiqued as incompatible with scientific inquiry
Dualism
The philosophical position that the mind and body are fundamentally distinct entities
Virtus dormitiva
A tautological explanation where an item is defined in terms of itself using different words
The inner man
Skinner’s term referring to the autonomous, free-willed individual often depicted in literature, which he criticized as an ill-defined concept
Superstition and demonology
Terms used by Skinner to describe what he perceived as unfounded beliefs in autonomous agency or supernatural forces influencing behavior
Dehumanization vs. de-homunculization
Skinner’s argument that science doesn’t dehumanize individuals but rather removes the concept of a controlling inner entity (homunculus)
Chess-computer analogy
Illustration of deterministic behavior in a system (the computer), likened to human behavior but without the need for mentalistic explanations
Intentional idioms
Expressions that attribute intentions or mental states to individuals, which Skinner and Quine advocated avoiding in psychological explanations
Belief formation
Skinner’s explanation that beliefs are constructed through reinforcement of behavior rather than through conscious mental processes
Scientific inquiry
The shift from pre-scientific, intentional explanations of behavior to scientific, empirical approaches that Skinner emphasized as necessary for progress in psychology
