Wittgenstein and Logical Behaviorism

Volume 10|Issue 37| Summer 2021 |Articles

Abstract

Some authors believe that Wittgenstein was a Logical Behaviorist, even a founder of Logical Behaviorism, whereas others think that he was a not a behaviorist, Logical or other. Nevertheless, there is wide–spread agreement that his statements on the subject of behaviorism lend themselves to divergent interpretations. We begin by tracing Wittgenstein's position to the historical period which witnessed the development of the behaviorism in psychology and Logical Positivism in philosophy in the first third of the 20th Century. In the subsequent sections we define what we mean by Logical Behaviorism and outline the arguments and considerations which support the view that Wittgenstein was not a behaviorist, and those which incline others to think that he was one. We do not settle the question definitively, but we do suggest that Wittgenstein was a behaviorist who was well aware of the difficulties of behaviorism. We conclude by offering a view which is in the spirit of behaviorism which Wittgenstein could not utterly relinquish, but which goes some distance toward meeting objections to it.

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Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies who previously served as professor at Yarmouk University in Jordan, Birzeit University in Palestine, and Qatar University . His research focuses on the concept of identity, Islamic theology and philosophy, and contemporary Arab and Islamic thought. His latest book is titled Discourse of Dignity and Human Rights.

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