Methodological behaviorism, evolution, and game theory

Elliott Sober

pp. 181-200

in: James H. Fetzer (ed), Sociobiology and epistemology, Berlin, Springer, 1985

Abstract

A review of some standard philosophical criticisms of methodological behaviorism shows that the only substantive challenge to that position allows that there may be research programs in which behaviorism is an appropriate methodological stance. Evolutionary biology provides some cases in point. Behaviorist assumptions are at work in sociobiological arguments, in some models of cultural evolution, and in game theory. The defects that there may be in these approaches do not include the behaviorist assumption. The perspective developed throws light on the charge that sociobiology uses anthropomorphic descriptors of the traits it investigates.