On Sun, 2 Feb 2003, andie nachgeborenen wrote:
> OK, so what is your deep scientific alaternative to the idea that
> beliefsa nd desires are important in explaining human behavior? Are you
> an elimininative materialist in the manner of Paul and Patricia
> Churchland? And even if you you, why do you think this is relevant to
> seriiosu political dicsussion?
>
I know it is a very popular idea in our society to attribute social behavior to individual psychological states and processes. It is the basis of our economic system, our legal system, our marriage customs. However, philosophers have been trying to rebut the notion of determinism for millenia, psychologists have rigorously studied human behavior for about 100 years, and no one has been able to logically and/or empirically demonstrate that intentions are a causal force that influences behavior. Radical behaviorists (Jim F. on our list?) point out that any claim that behavior is "intentional" cannot be empirically tested. Even if a person says "I ate that apple because I wanted to", a behaviorist can plausibly claim that this statement itself is determined by factors other than intent. (See, e.g., the cross-cultural research on individualism/collectivism, on how our emphasis on personal choice, intent and responsibly is far from universal.)
I'm not bringing this up to be clever (or to waste bandwidth). The fact that intention is not a topic for serious political discussion, despite the fact that there is no powerful evidence that demonstrates its existence, is curious to me. Why is this unsubstantiated concept so prevalent in our society? --To apply crude Marxism: perhaps because it facilitates capitalist social relations?
Miles