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Arthur F. Bentley and the foundations of behavioral science
Author(s) -
Ward James F.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of the history of the behavioral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1520-6696
pISSN - 0022-5061
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6696(198104)17:2<222::aid-jhbs2300170208>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - presupposition , criticism , epistemology , scientific theory , behavioural sciences , psychology , philosophy of science , history of science , reflection (computer programming) , sociology , philosophy , cognitive science , social science , literature , computer science , art , programming language
Arthur F. Bentley's early work on the foundations of behavioral science has been neglected by students of the history and philosophy of social science. Bentley believed that the development of behavioral science required extensive reflection on and criticism of the categorial presuppositions of both everyday and scientific knowledge. This paper is concerned with Bentley's criticism of psychological explanation, his theory of observation, and the basic concepts of his behavioral science.