al causation as the source of behavior. That is, it assumes that one initially describes the mental as the cause of behavior prior to describing the physical. For example, if one is to say, "Mike has a headache," a logical behaviorist would say that what is really meant is that "If aspirin were available, Mike would take one." The feeling that Mike calls a headache is simply a behavioral disposition to take an aspirin were it available. By translating mental language into the language of stimuli and responses (the "if" and the "then"), logical behaviorists are able to provide an interpretation of psychological explanations for any behavior (Fodor 27). Basically, the meaning of any mental term can be conveyed by a behavior if the correct stimuli are present to cause that response.One of the faults of this theory stems from the fact that logical behaviorism does not account for the mental processes which a person undergoes before deciding to behave in a certain way. To continue the headache example, for an individual to take the aspirin that is available, he must, according to Fodor, first have the desire to rid himself of the headache (qualia), the belief that the aspirin will relieve the headache (content), and the acceptance that both his headache and the aspirin exist (self-awareness). Therefore, the individual must make a conscientious decision whether or not to take the aspirin (28). He does not automatically respond when the aspirin is placed in front of him such as he would blink if a bright light were flashed in his eyes. That response is purely a physical response to stimuli. The taking of aspirin is a response that requires thought and the logical behaviorist is unable to account for those thought processes.Furthermore, the content of our thoughts are altered by logical behaviorism. When an individual says he has a headache, he does not mean that he is disposed to behave in a certain way; what he means is that he is ...
