Beyond determinism and materialism, or isn't it time we took consciousness seriously?
This essay argues: (1) that the fundamental conflict between the behaviorist and cognitive approaches to psychology are philosophical, not scientific; (2) that the philosophical premises underlying behaviorism (materialism, epiphenomenalism, functional model of causality, and the rejection of concepts referring to conscious states and processes) are false; and (3) that an objective, scientific approach to psychology must take consciousness and volition as axiomatic starting points.
Locke
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College of Business & Management, University of Maryland, College Park 20742, USA.
D003071:Cognition; D003243:Consciousness; D005246:Feedback; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D009042:Motivation; D010684:Philosophy; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012586:Science; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior