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Behaviorism
by John Staddon
Behaviorists view Man as an animal, subject
to the same laws of stimulus-response that he observes in his animal experiments.
They flatly denies the existence of a "human mind", personal responsibility
and any type of "inner personality". It is essential to understand the
behaviorists to grasp where the current unworkable and basically degrading
theories and methods of pseudo-scientific psychology and psychiatry come
from. To the behaviorist thoughts, will, intention, purposes, imagination,
and responsibility are meaningless terms which only "seem" to exist. They
consider these things tedious concepts which interfere with a "true" understanding
of Man as a controllable animal devoid of a soul, mind and any ability
to act on one's own self-determinism.
It's good to read a book about behaviorism
to see just how ridiculous human thought can be about the subject of human
thought (which behaviorists ignore!). This is as good of one as any.
Reviews
Philosopher John Searle, 1993
"I think it is terrific. I wish everybody
in psychology, or for that matter philosophy, wrote as well as you do."
Philosopher John Searle
Contemporary Psychology, 1996
"The reader is treated to an uncommonly
accurate rendering of Skinnerian
inconsistencies, a penetrating account of the superstition literature,
and an illuminating behavioral description of the color phi phenomena...
Staddon's interpretation of a theoretical behaviorism is engaging, lively,
and thought provoking - even the footnotes are a joy to read." Randall
D. Wight
(Choice, 1994)
"An insightful introduction to the behaviorist
tradition."
Behaviorists are not completely wrong - the
environment does influence people, sometimes dramatically. But their
one-sided approach tosses out any notion of a self-determined responsible
human being capable of acting (i.e. behaving) intentionally based upon
ethical, moral or well thought-out personal choices and decisions. As with
most behavioral psychologists, it's all environmental. They quite
comfortably assert that notions regarding an indwelling thinking agent
(i.e. you) are useless and should be quickly forgotten! They also quite
comfortably view and treat Man like so many atoms, molecules, and bricks,
ignoring all aspects of the humin mind, in their attempt to "understand"
Man just as does the physical scientist in his attempt to understand
matter and energy. This always eventually leads to oppression, control
and brute force, because Man is viewed as an animal with no soul, a "thing"
- in that case, who cares what is done to him? Welcome to behaviorism.
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