About Behaviorism

Rating:
Summary: Short, sweet guide to the radical behaviorist point of view
Review: ...I gave this book a five for its clarity in laying out some Skinnerian basics. It's a very well-written book and clearly presents the often-misunderstood but important distinction between behavioral psychology and behaviorism (its philosophy).

Rating:
Summary: although I disagree with many Skinnerian notions...
Review: ...I gave this book a five for its clarity in laying out some Skinnerian basics. It's a very well-written book and clearly presents the often-misunderstood but important distinction between behavioral psychology and behaviorism (its philosophy).

Rating:
Summary: Skinners clearest explanations for the non-psychologist
Review: Skinner in this book does what he fails to do in many of his other works, make it readable for the mass audience. B.F. Skinner has made a lasting impression on the field of psychology by his unbelievable attention to detail and the bredth of applicaiton that his work has. This book covers most areas of his analysis, that are more fully described in other places, in a user friendly manner and makes accessible for the lay person his explanations in easy to follow examples. This is an excellent primmer to Skinner.

Rating:
Summary: BEHAVIORISM IS FUNDAMENTAL
Review: THEORIES ABOUT ANIMAL BEHAVIOR (INCLUDING HUMAN ANIMALS) COME IN AND OUT OF FASHION IN CYCLES. BFS IS NOT IN FASHION THESE DAYS - MORE'S THE PITY!

IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO BE AN EDUCATED PERSON IN THE 21ST CENTURY IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A FIRM GRASP OF BFS' BODY OF WORK. IT IS FUNDAMENTAL.

IN THIS VOLUME BFS MAKES A BRAVE STAB AT 'POPULARISING' HIS THEORIES. HE IS NOT ALTOGETHER SUCCESSFUL. FOR ONE THING, HE DOESN'T WRITE NEARLY AS WELL AS, SAY, FREUD; ALTHOUGH HE IS ON A PAR WITH, SAY, JUNG, OR EVEN JAMES.

THE 'HUMANISTS' WHO ARE ON THE RISE THESE HIGH-TECH DAYS - THEY USUALLY PARALLEL THE RELIGIONIST CYCLE - GET PRETTY SHORT SHRIFT FROM BFS, ALTHOUGH IN THIS BOOK HE GOES OUT OF HIS WAY TO BE CONCILIATORY. I WONDER IF HE DOESN'T BORDER ON CONDESCENDING?

IF YOU BELIEVE THAT "MAN IS MADE IN THE IMAGE & LIKENESS OF A SANE & LOVING GOD" YOU WON'T ENJOY THIS INFINITELY POLITE BUT UNCOMPROMISING BOOK. IT IS ALL FOR TRAINING MAN OUT OF HIS 'KILLER APS' SO TO SPEAK : YOU KNOW, SLAVERY IN THE SOUTHERN USA (THE READING LIST IS GROWING AT LAST), VIETNAM (A GROWING LIST OF FINE, DEVASTATINGLY REVEALING BOOKS), 1930/40 NAZISM ( A READING LIST AS LONG AS YOUR ARM AND GROWING RAPIDLY), STALINISM (NOT SUCH A GOOD LIST OF READINGS), MAOISM (ALSO A BIT SPARSE), ON AND ON ACROSS A PLANET AWASH IN BLOOD & CARNAGE - RIGHT UP TO THIS VERY HOUR, EVEN AS I WRITE.

BFS DOES NOT ROMANTICISE HUMANKIND, ANY MORE THAN DARWIN DID. IF HE ERRS, LIKE DARWIN, IT IS THROUGH A REALISTIC FEAR OF AROUSING THE HATRED OF A DANGEROUS SPECIES; THIS LEADS TO A TENDENCY TO SKIRT THE REAL ISSUES, HOPING THE READER CAN READ BETWEEN THE LINES.

THIS IS NOT 'LIGHT' READING FOR ALL BFS' EFFORTS TO DUMB DOWN HIS CONCLUSIONS; BUT NEITHER IS IT ESPECIALLY 'HEAVY' GOING. IT IS WELL WORTH THE EFFORT REQUIRED.

WARNING: DON'T EVEN BOTHER, IF YOUR IDEA OF SERIOUS PSYCHOLOGY (MANAGERIAL OR OTHERWISE) IS 'THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER' WHICH, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, DERIVES FROM BFS' RESEARCH.

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE UTTERLY RIDICULOUS!

Rating:
Summary: Short, sweet guide to the radical behaviorist point of view
Review: Written late in Skinner's life, this broadly-scoped statement of Skinner's philosophy is not only an outstanding, clear, and relatively nontechnical primer to Skinner's philosophy, but it is also one of the few places where Skinner undertook to defend his positions against critics, on exactly the same points that are still widely assumed to neatly dismiss not only Skinner, but all of his ideas - and sometimes the entire notion of behavioral science - in one specious swoop.

In mid-century, Skinner became strongly associated with the word 'behaviorism' (so much so that it is now common to see famous, well-published academics confusing him with Watson, the originator of the word 'behaviorism,' whose views and approach were fundamentally different.) Skinner's views are actually called "radical behaviorism" to distinguish them from others like Watsonian S-R behaviorism, Hull's neo-behaviorism, Tolman's purposive behaviorism, and so on. Radical behaviorism, as many prior behaviorisms, held that behavior was caused in ordinary natural ways, and hence that it could be studied just as scientifically as, say, biology was, with just as little unnecessary mystery. What made it 'radical,' however, was not really that it was more behaviorist than other behaviorism, but that it embraced the existence of only-privately-observed events, like one's thoughts and feelings, in such a way that they were also considered behavior. (cf. Skinner's quote, 'The skin is not so important as a boundary.')

Skinner's philosophy had other notable and idiosyncratic properties: Skinner held that behavior was profoundly controlled by the environment (read: that what we do is done with relation to the world - compare this to Pylyshyn's absurdly contrary claim that "human behavior is stimulus free," in other words that we are so stupid that we act without regard, e.g., to what time it is, what the judge just said, or how this restaurant was awful last time.) Skinner emphasized direct application of behavioral study to political problems, was a humanist who hated coercion and punishment, and - perhaps most famously - he was excessively picky about what words were used to describe behavior (going so far as to reject, on principle, virtually any use terminology smacking of 'mentalism,' - e.g., 'thought,' even though he took pains to point out his acceptance of private life). It is the persistent emphasis of environmental influence and the persistent suspicion of anything that smelled like 'mentalism' - appeal to spirits, res cogitae, homunculi, a vis viva, or a virtus dormitiva - that are now the most noted characteristics of Skinner's philosophy.

Skinner's own words will naturally be the most reliable representation of what he thought, and this is the best place to read those words. Whether or not you have any understanding of behavioral science or of Skinner's particular take on it, this book will give you the essential and relatively authoritative philosophical views contained in radical behaviorism - unpolluted by politically motivated revisionism. With an honest reading of an accurate source, one can evaluate each idea on its own merit, without needing to take sides pro or con in order to evaluate the basic plausibility of the many and strident competing claims about radical behaviorism.

(One point is left off because Skinner's philosophy is still somewhat confusingly explained and incomplete, albeit expansive, even at its best).