Re: The Behaviorist Mantra

"Rolf Marvin Bøe Lindgren" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:

>Ernest Mach (and Machian positivism) was also one of Skinner's
>inspirations.  Mach's method of research can be boiled down to this:
>assume that what you have observed is correct and see how far you can
>get with it.  Einstein was inspired by Mach when he assumed, contrary
>to theory, that the speed of light was not relative, applied 
>Maxwell's equations, and general relativity came out in the other end.
>Thus, Einstein dismissed theory in this particular instance, and
>indeed, theory got in the way of progress in science. 

That's a bad description.  What Einstein gave us is theory.  There
is something wrong with saying that he dismissed theory.

I think you mean that he dismissed the conventionally accepted
theory, and proposed a replacement.