Viva El Pointsman

[jolly]

"The behaviourist believes that all human reactions conform to the 
principle of biological determinism. In the behaviourist paradigm there is no
distinction made between physiological and psychological reactions."

Similar to Pynchon's caricature via the Pointsman,  this is an oversimplfied account of behaviorism, whether Pavlovian, Lorentzian,  or Skinnerian: 
Skinner himself did not deny mental processes or concepts (though he would have said they were all biochemical and material in nature and not metaphysical), but, following Watson's successful experiments, he asserted that studying how  organisms respond to stimulus, environmental conditions etc. is a much more effective and  pragmatic manner of dealing with human interaction than  is a philosophy of mind, or metaphysical or conceptualist approach. There is much evidence confirming behaviorist ideas in regards to education, business, etc., notwithstanding Chomsky's hatchet job. Moreover, a sophisticated behaviorist such as Lorentz worked with probabilites, experiments,  as well as genetic factors....One reason the belle-lettrists detested behaviorism and  Darwinian materialism as a whole  is because it represents a real threat to the entire literary tradition, to the priest-like aesthetes, to  the hypocritical "dignity" and ethics of humanities,  man's "fate," etc., concepts usually
 based on  quasi-theological arguments. 
 
Eventually cog. science will  reduce all philosophical problems and issues to biochemistry (review Dr. Changeux's demolishing of the philosopher/clown Ricoeur for a clear picture of how bankrupt and primitive philosophy really is when confronted with modern brain science.)   Additionally, Lorentz and Skinner never denied a cog. approach, but were arguing that  the cognitivists can't as yet provide a complete account of human intention, motives, action, etc.,  
 
Viva the Pointsman 

			
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