A Melodrama of Psychology
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.rp.e350101Keywords:
Melodrama, Psychology, Subject Matter, Behaviorism, Mentalism, DualismAbstract
In this paper, I discuss critically a debate I consider as melodramatic for excessive and scientifically sterile, namely, what is the proper subject matter of psychology. On one side of this debate, there are radical behaviorism and interbehaviorism, which postulate behavior and interbehavior, respectively, as the proper subject matters of psychology, with an obsession for an ontological and epistemological separation from the rest of science, as well as from mentalistic psychology falsely accused of dualistic. On the other side, there is mentalism, with an equally separatist obsession, especially from biology. This melodrama, behavior versus mind, is plagued with theatrical handwaving that in some cases seeks to force psychological research agendas largely motivated by personal interests and tastes. I argue that this melodrama only hinders progress in psychology, and that in such cases threatens intellectual freedom, acquiring normative overtones in the hands of people with economic and political power. My suggestion is moderation in this debate, supplemented by a greater general philosophical culture and respect for academic intellectual freedom.
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