PHIL 100W Lecture Notes - Turing Machine, Physicalism, Mental Property
28 Nov 2012
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Problems for behaviourism: it seems to ignore consciousness. Many argue that there is something it is like: there seem to be an indefinite number of behaviours that could be associated with a given mental state. Hence our analysis is incomplete or circular: behaviourism seems not to accommodate mental causation. If my belief that it is going to rain is partly constituted by my carrying an umbrella, it cannot cause my carrying an umbrella. If part of being in pain is crying out or being disposed to cry out, pain could not cause the crying out. Some say : the behaviourist was on the right track, but stopped too soon. Sugar has the disposition to dissolve in water. We ask about its non-dispositional properties its categorical properties. Presumably, in the case of opium, its chemical properties. Against the behaviourist, some think we need to investigate the categorical bases of behavioural dispositions. Skinner"s black box is a subject of investigation after all!
