Lies and Behaviorism

Is behaviorism still a thing? Apparently, it is still making inroads, or ruts, in education (See here, here, and here). I guess some bad ideas have a slow, slow death. Well, let's remind ourselves why behaviorism is so, so wrong-headed. Let's do this by observing the all-too-common lie.

Behaviorism is a radical form of empiricism, which assumes only the observable can be known and only the observable can explain. Behaviorists eschew any reference to mental thoughts or internal motivations in explaining behavior. If you want to know why someone did X, don't ask them their motivations or what they were thinking when they did X. Instead, the answer is to be found by observing their behavior, the consequences of their behavior, and their environment. At its root, behaviorism has an allergy to anything that might smack of dualism. God forbid we have a thought.

Here's where lying throws a wrench in the behaviorist's assumptions. If someone is lying, and if they're any good at it, their behavior will not expose the truth behind the lie. Let's suppose that someone asserts, "Chad believes that summer is great." According to the behaviorist, that assertion means something like: if you ask Chad "Is summer great?" he will answer in the affirmative. It's not that Chad really believes anything, it's just that given the right circumstances Chad will act in a certain way, such as affirming with vocal sounds that "Summer is great." If you can observe that, then you're good to go. Of course, if Chad hates summer because it's hot and there's no snow, then you haven't observed much when he says, "Yes, summer is great!"

If we deny mental and internal motivations, relying solely on what can be observed, then the liar will get us every time. Let's assume some behaviorist asks me, "Can you solve the Beal Conjecture?" If I smile and vigorously nod my head, and if the interlocutor does no further investigation, then what do they know? They know that I can solve the Beal Conjecture. But, of course, they don't know that because that is a lie (trust me, I would have a hot million in my hands if it were true). Moreover, I know it's a lie and I didn't have to observe my own behavior to know it's a lie. I know it's a lie because I know my own thoughts.

The possible examples we could use to show the enfeeblement of behaviorism are multitudinous. I won't waste your time with any more. My only suggestion is if you want to know why someone did something simply ask them, "What were you thinking?"