Science and Philosophy of Behavior - Selected Papers

W. M. Baum's Science and Philosophy of Behavior: Selected Papers offers a new paradigm for thinking about behavior, avoiding quantitative analysis and linking behaviorism to anthropology. It provides descriptions of the flow-like nature of behavior and its link to evolution, re-imaginations of reinforcement, and an essential critique of behavior theory and philosophy.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 20 September 2022
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc

In Science and Philosophy of Behavior: Selected Papers, renowned researcher W. M. Baum presents an extensive compilation of thought-provoking papers that establish a groundbreaking new perspective on behavior. This book exclusively features articles that provide a philosophical and theoretical foundation for developing an effective natural science of behavior. Quantitative analysis is largely avoided, except for a paper on, surprisingly, avoidance.

The author divides the book into three parts, exploring the flow-like nature of behavior and its connection to evolution, as well as presenting a pure form of behaviorism that addresses certain shortcomings in B.F. Skinner's seminal works. The book also establishes a link between behaviorism and anthropology in its final section.

For readers, this book offers:
Comprehensive descriptions of the molar nature of behavior and why the molecular view is misguided
Re-imaginings of the concept of reinforcement, including considerations of allocation, induction, and contingency
Explorations of the connections between behavior analysis and Darwinian evolutionary processes
An essential critique—and reorganization—of behavior theory and philosophy, Science and Philosophy of Behavior: Selected Papers is a controversial, fascinating, and eye-opening exploration of a half-century of transformative work in the field.

Weight: 734g
Dimension: 253 x 178 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781119880868