Michele Pasin / Quotes

Mental states as dispositions to behave

According to a typical behaviorist analysis, to say that Jones believes it is going to rain just means the same as saying an indefinite number of statements…

Mind: A Brief Introduction (John R. Searle) #behaviorism #beliefs #behavior

Character is a composite of habits

OUR CHARACTER, BASICALLY, is a composite of our habits. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a…

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen R. Covey) #habits #character #behavior

Behaviorism smuggles desire back in

I said earlier that the behaviorists would analyze Jones’s belief that it is going to rain into sets of statements about his rain-avoidance behavior. But the…

Mind: A Brief Introduction (John R. Searle) #behaviorism #beliefs #reductionism

Beliefs have no intrinsic features

Mental states such as beliefs are not defined by any intrinsic features, rather they are defined by their causal relations, and these causal relations…

Mind: A Brief Introduction (John R. Searle) #functionalism #beliefs #cause

Career change: move forward not away

We often leave a job or situation because we are unhappy about something: an overbearing manager, irritating colleagues, ridiculous hours. When we make a…

Lessons From My Career Change: Five Ways To Make Your Move Sustainable | Guardian Careers | Guardian Professional #beliefs #thought #jobs #situation #managers

Causal relations are all there is to a belief

Beliefs, for example, are caused by perceptions and together with desires they cause actions. Such causal relations are all that there is to having a belief.

Mind: A Brief Introduction (John R. Searle) #functionalism #beliefs #perception #action