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How Hume's Philosophy Informed Radical Behaviorism
Andrew E Nuzzolilli1, James W Diller1
1Department of Psychology, Eastern Connecticut State University, 83 Windham Street, Willimantic, CT 06226 USA.
The Behavior Analyst
|September 9, 2016
Summary
David Hume
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Science
- Behavioral Psychology
Background:
- David Hume's philosophical inquiries into causality and scientific methodology.
- B. F. Skinner's behavior-analytic approach and its philosophical underpinnings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze consistencies between the philosophical systems of David Hume and B. F. Skinner.
- To examine their conceptualizations of causality and scientific behavior.
- To trace Skinner's logical antecedents for historical and philosophical clarity.
Main Methods:
- Comparative philosophical analysis.
- Examination of historical texts and philosophical arguments.
- Tracing the intellectual lineage of radical behaviorism.
Main Results:
- Identified significant consistencies in the conceptualization of causality.
- Demonstrated how Hume's ideas were developed in Skinner's writings.
- Highlighted the influence on the behavior-analytic approach to scientific behavior.
Conclusions:
- Hume's philosophy provides a foundational understanding for Skinner's behaviorism.
- Understanding these philosophical antecedents enhances clarity on radical behaviorism's development.
- The study bridges philosophical history and behavioral science.
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