philosophical behaviorism

alternative philosophical behaviourism

1. USuncountablehuman sciencesSynonym of behaviorism.

   Indeed one of the motives of philosophical behaviorism was to defend verificationism by showing that it need not classify the bulk of folk psychology's mentalistic terminology as nonsense.

   1983, Stephen P. Stich, From Folk Psychology to Cognitive Science: The Case against Belief, Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: The MIT Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 3

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   In fact, philosophical behaviorism is not so much a theory about what mental states are (in their inner nature) as it is a theory about how to analyze or to understand the vocabulary we use to talk about them.

   1984, Paul M. Churchland, Matter and Consciousness, Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: The MIT Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 23

   Breaking your leg, burning your hand, and seeing or hearing a lion are all physical events, as are the failure of a light bulb and the blowing out of a candle. It follows that philosophical behaviorism offers a physicalist account of mental states.

   2005, Ian Ravenscroft, Philosophy of Mind: A Beginner's Guide, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 26

   Synonyms: analytic behaviorism, analytic behaviourism, analytical behaviorism, analytical behaviourism, behaviorism, behaviourism, logical behaviourism, philosophical behaviourism