(February 13, 2020 at 12:56 am)John 6IX Breezy Wrote:(February 12, 2020 at 7:07 pm)Mister Agenda Wrote: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion_in...Background
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioris...imitations
Two misconceptions worth addressing. First, the approach taken by early behaviorists was aimed at improving testability. It isn't the case that they thought mental states, emotions, etc., didn't exist. Rather that they weren't testable and we should focus elsewhere. There's no mention in the links that a kicked dog whimpering was viewed as a reflex. But the behavior does sound very reflexive. Step on a nail and you not only withdraw your limb, you exclaim ouch or some expletives. Your consciousness seems to just sit back and watch it happen. Afterwards you realize what you said and apologize if the context demands it. The dog's reaction is bound to be very reflexive as well, the question you need to answer is whether or not it is accompanied by a conscious experience.
The second thing to clarify is that the cognitive revolution was not about establishing consciousness. You didn't necessarily claim that it did, but between what you wrote and what you cited it gave that impression. The focus of cognitive psychology was initially information processing, regardless of whether that processing occurs consciously or unconsciously (mostly unconscious). Your link primarily mentions Chomsky in the critique of behaviorism, but if you look at his early work, Chomsky was concerned with generative grammar and the rules your brain uses to produce language. You are not conscious of the processes that generate speech, you're only conscious of speaking.
I didn't realize that you needed to be walked through the entire history of thought on animal behavior. If I step on a nail, I feel pain. I don't have to contextualize it, it hurts. If you don't think a dog feels pain, I trust you don't own one.
On the cognitive revolution not being about establishing consciousness: correct, I did not claim that it did.
I'm not anti-Christian. I'm anti-stupid.