Behaviourism (Ryle)

Question 1

Who was the name of the philosopher who wrote The concept of mind

Answer 1

Gilbert Ryle

Question 2

What is the entire premise of the The concept of mind: Descartes Myth

Answer 2

CLARIFIES a CONCEPT that Descartes made a CATEGORICAL mistake

Question 3

Why does Ryle refer to Dualism as the official doctrine

Answer 3

1) Descartes meditations first published in 1641
2) The in-material versus material was a problem in Descartes time
3) However, expansion upon Descartes theory was carried out
4) Dualism up until Ryle was the official stance of philosophers

Question 4

Give some contrasting examples of Physical Things and Mental Things

Answer 4

1) Extension versus thinking
2) Public versus private
3) Space in time versus time only
4) Directly observed versus indirectly observe (some would actually reverse this but rules is talking about the mental of others)
5) External versus internal

Question 5

What was Ryle’s goal
His main thesis:__________
Not only in detail, but ________

Answer 5

1) dualism is false
2) principal

Question 6

What was the broad reason Ryle claimed Dualism was false?

Answer 6

Too many mistakes were made,
Especially a big categorical mistake

Question 7

What is a category mistake?

Answer 7

PLACING a CONCEPT in an INAPPROPRIATE CATEGORY

(usually done undetected)

Question 8

What was Ryles first criticism about?

Answer 8

Explanatory power

Question 9

What was the criticism of Explanatory Power according Ryles?

Answer 9

EXPLANANTORY POWER

DUALISM comes from an attempt to AVOID MECHANICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MIND

THEREFORE: the theory of mind produced by the dualists avoid explanation about what the the minds are

RATHER: They attempted to explain what it isn’t (negation)

Question 10

Who coined the term Ghost in the Machine?

Answer 10

Gilbert Ryle

Question 11

When was the concept of mind written?

Answer 11

1949

Question 12

Explain the phrase ghost in the machine?

Answer 12

BECUASE dualists adhere to the mind being invisible

IT makes it impossible to study or ask anything outside the laws of physics

Question 13

Where does Ryle suggest the dualist thought takes one?

Answer 13

Nowhere, if a theory of mind makes the mind impossible to study then what’s the point. A theory should make things easier to understand. Dualism therefore prevents one from finding an explanation on the mind.

Question 14

What is Ryles second criticism about?

Answer 14

Its about the categorical mistake made

Question 15

give an example of a categorical mistake?

Answer 15

if one has a left glove, and a right gloves, so I have a pair of gloves therefore I have three items.

Question 16

What is the mistake made in the glove example of a categorical mistake

Answer 16

the mistake is treating the pair as the same category as the left and the right

Question 17

What was Descartes categorical mistake according to Gilbert Ryles?

Answer 17

• takes the mind to belong to the same category as the body
• treats the both the mind and the body as a thing
• problem is the mind is not anything at all, it is not a thing

Question 18

How does the ghost of the machine apply to the mind and body

Answer 18

when you take Descartes concept of the mind and treat it as a thing in addition to the body you will never find it

Question 19

Does Ryle claim there is no mind?

Answer 19

No he doesn’t no claim there is no mind rather that there is only body and the mind is a concept describing the bodily behaviours

Question 20

What concept or category does Gilbert Ryle adhere to?

Answer 20

Logical Behaviourism

Question 21

What type of concept does Gilbert Ryle introduce?

Answer 21

bundled concepts

Question 22

What are bundled concepts

Answer 22

A short hand term that is bundled up with a whole bunch of smaller things.

Question 23

according to Giblert Ryle is mind a bundled concept?

Answer 23

yes

Question 24

Does Gilbert Ryle claim there is no body?

Answer 24

no he claims the exact opposite that there is just body and not a separation of body and mind as things but rather mind is a short hand term used to explain multiple smaller things

Question 25

What is the mind a shorthand for according to Ryles?

Answer 25

the mind is a shorthand for behaviours (and dispositions to behaviours

Question 26

What does Gilbert Ryle mean by behaviours?

Answer 26

ALL OF: mental CONSCRIPTIONS mental LANGUAGE mental TERMS are just SHORTHAND language for daily complex behaviour

Question 27

What is the advantage of behaviourism over dualism?

Answer 27

it gives something to be analyzed (behaviours) versus dualists that think the mind is out of reach

Question 28

True or false to study the mind is to study behaviour (behaviouralists)

Answer 28

true

Question 29

No mental terms, attitudes, feelings, perception translate into behavioural terms according to the behaviouralist?

Answer 29

false

Question 30

Mental terms are identical with Behavioural terms? (behaviouralist)

Answer 30

true

Question 31

Ryles would argue that we should dismiss mental terms because they are able to be replaced with Behavioural Terms

Answer 31

false, Ryles think we SHOULD keep mental terms because they are useful as bundled concept term to explain behaviours

Question 32

How would Ryles translate the mental term "Jones feels cold"

Answer 32

If Jones is asked Jones would say he is cold

Question 33

Ryles would translate "Rachel is Nervous" as?

Answer 33

If asked Rachel would say she is nervous

Question 34

finish the statement: There is nothing more to mental phenomena than__________

Answer 34

the displayed behaviour and disposition to behave (Logical Behaviourism)

Question 35

Are the relationships between mental and behavioural states a causation and effect type of relationship?

Answer 35

according to Ryles theory, no. To have causation and effect is to have two separate things interacting with each other, the mind and behaviours are the same thing and therefore do no interact with one another but are the same

Question 36

What is the goal of logical behaviourism?

Answer 36

to translate mental terms into behaviours

Question 37

What is the #1st criticism offered towards Ryles theory?

Answer 37

That the translation of mental to behaviour is not actually complete. Further explanation is that the person could be asked and just easily not say it for examples Jones feels cold but when asked he says something different

Question 38

What would criticism #1 repair the translation of "Jones feels cold" to?

Answer 38

If asked, Jones would say he is cold, if only he thinks he wouldn’t offend the person if asked

Question 39

However what is the major mistake even with Ryle and Criticism #1?

Answer 39

More translating needs to further be done because it can never actually be complete without switching back to mental terms

Question 40

Provide some examples for the criticism#2 towards Ryles

Answer 40

Examples: we can make a distinction between someone being in pain and someone acting as if they are in pain or An elite soldier can have pain behaviour but show no signs of feeling pain due to prior training

Question 40

Explain the second criticism towards Ryles?

Answer 40

It does not appear to be that mental phenomena are identical to behaviour

Question 41

What is the third criticism?