Epistemology

Abstract

It was with a great deal of pleasure that I accepted the invitation to write a chapter on the behavioral perspective on epistemology. B. F. Skinner’s contribution to my own philosophical work in epistemology and to my thinking about other matters is considerable. However, it was not long after I was into the project that I realized there were certain factors that made it somewhat complicated. For one thing, although Skinner was for some time working on a book on epistemology with a linguist by the name of Pere Julia, Skinner apparently abandoned the project when Julia returned to Spain and, therefore, he (Skinner) never published anything directly in the field of epistemology. Skinner’s contribution to epistemology, therefore, is only suggested in his work, especially his work on verbal behavior. And as we shall see even with respect to his work in the field of verbal behavior the epistemologist cannot profitably swallow Skinner’s work whole, but must refine it, modify it and, in some cases, criticize it.