The Inner Life of a Rational Agent: In Defence of Philosophical Behaviourism
Rowland Stout
Abstract
This book provides an up-to-date version of behaviourism, although not a form of behaviourism that denies the existence of consciousness, free will, rationality, etc., nor aims to reduce these to other sorts of things. Properly understood, the idea of being disposed to behave in a certain way is seen as being exactly as rich and interesting as the idea of being in a certain state of mind. The fact that our ways of behaving are sensitive to practical rationality is taken to be an essential aspect of our nature as conscious agents. In describing such a version of practical rationality, the autho ... More
This book provides an up-to-date version of behaviourism, although not a form of behaviourism that denies the existence of consciousness, free will, rationality, etc., nor aims to reduce these to other sorts of things. Properly understood, the idea of being disposed to behave in a certain way is seen as being exactly as rich and interesting as the idea of being in a certain state of mind. The fact that our ways of behaving are sensitive to practical rationality is taken to be an essential aspect of our nature as conscious agents. In describing such a version of practical rationality, the author claims that we are describing the mental state of someone whose behaviour is sensitive to it. His account of behaviourism rests on two central notions: that of a causal disposition to behave; and that of sensitivity to practical rationality. The author explains and develops these notions in some detail, and then uses them to construct powerful and original accounts of belief, intention, knowledge, perception and consciousness.
Keywords:
behaviourism,
consciousness,
free will,
rationality,
mental states,
practical rationality,
belief,
intention,
knowledge,
perception
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2006 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780748623433 |
| Published to Edinburgh Scholarship Online: March 2012 |
DOI:10.3366/edinburgh/9780748623433.001.0001 |
