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Philosophical Behaviourism
Philosophy · Year 13 · Metaphysics of Mind: Physicalism and Functionalism · 4.º Período

Philosophical Behaviourism

Students analyse hard and soft behaviourism, focusing on Hempel and Ryle. They will evaluate whether mental states can be entirely reduced to behavioural dispositions.

National Curriculum Attainment TargetsAQA A-Level Philosophy 7172: 3.2.2.2 Physicalist theories: BehaviourismDfE Philosophy AS and A-level subject content: Metaphysics of mind

About This Topic

Students analyse hard and soft behaviourism, focusing on Hempel and Ryle. They will evaluate whether mental states can be entirely reduced to behavioural dispositions.

Key Questions

  1. Can mental states be translated into statements about behaviour without loss of meaning?
  2. How does the asymmetry between self-knowledge and knowledge of others challenge behaviourism?
  3. What is a category mistake?