Kossak BFSkinner has written a delightful diary, where people tell about their monikers/pseudonyms/handles/avatars. Great way to get some sense of who we are.
My handle, arper, comes from being a folk harper in the Venezuelan style (check out my webpage).
But I'm writing about something else.
In the late 50's and early 60's, B. F. Skinner continued development of BEHAVIORISM in psychology. An alternative approach, COGNITIVE psychology, was emerging at about the same time. That was the context in which Noam Chomsky wrote an hugely important "CRITIQUE OF B. F. SKINNER'S "VERBAL BEHAVIOR."
I know about this because I was in grad school then, in cultural anthropology, where the the definition of CULTURE was a matter of contention. ("Culture" is the word of the year 2014, I just now discovered...)
I don't want to argue. But, since we are all kossaks here, I just wanted to point out that our liberal hero Chomsky was not a skinnerian. Perhaps his angle needs to be considered. Am I stirring up a hornet's nest?
The COGNITIVE approach suggests that there are thoughts and ideas that affect behavior. The BEHAVIORAL approach, on the other hand, makes behavior a matter of material stimulus and response. Ideas/idealism versus materialism/"realism".
I'd venture to say that we are, all of us here, COGNITIVE. Maybe with a few exceptions.
There is (or may be) merit in both approaches, but I would certainly not buy into strict behaviorism.
I applaud BFSkinner's diary. Perhaps unintentionally he has provoked a discussion that I would like to see here.
One of my biggest concerns at DKOS is the level of snark and sarcasm. We need to be rallying the undecideds, changing the prevailing conversation, changing the prevailing CULTURE.
That brings to mind another thought: I have always argued that culture is not a mere aspect of a more elemental phenomenon, the ECONOMY. Rather the economy is an important but not entirely dominating part of CULTURE.
I'd love to see friendly and positive comments that respect differing views.
Good morning!!