Abstract

In this article we examine some of the relations between behavior analysis and the pragmatic philosophy of William James. We point out that the adoption of effectiveness as a truth criterion is common to both systems, which warrants a closer examination of its implications. We present the Skinnerian concepts of knowledge, science, and truth as compatible with aspects of pragmatic philosophy; at the same time they emphasize the role of social contingencies posed by the scientific verbal community in the control of scientific verbal behavior. We argue here that effectiveness, both in Skinner's radical behaviorism and in James' pragmatic philosophy, does not have the status of either independent or sufficient criterion to validate knowledge claims. We call attention to some generic and imprecise uses of that criterion in behavior-analytic literature and propose that a more consistent usage would involve subordinating effectiveness to a coherence criterion.