Prolegomena to any future philosophy of behavior analysis as a science
Behavior analysts already own data that can settle ancient philosophy questions if we speak up.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Catania (2023) wrote a think-piece honoring Howard Rachlin.
The paper asks how behavior analysis can join old philosophy debates.
It looks at causation, free will, and mind from a data-first view.
What they found
The field already has lab data that speak to classic puzzles.
Sharing those numbers can move philosophy forward.
No new experiment was run; the finding is a roadmap.
How this fits with other research
Joyce et al. (1988) made a similar call but aimed at lawmakers, not philosophers.
Both papers urge BCBAs to step outside the clinic with our science.
Burney et al. (2025) pick up the same spirit and ask for qualitative methods.
Where Catania wants philosophy dialogue, Burney wants new tools; the two goals support each other.
Jackson-Perry et al. (2025) extend the idea further.
They say philosophical self-check must include autistic voices and critical race lenses.
Why it matters
You can join the conversation without a philosophy degree.
Next time a parent asks if ABA denies choice, cite matching-law data instead of shrugging.
Bring one graph from your own case notes to supervision and ask what it says about causation.
These small moves push the field—and public thought—forward.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This tribute to Howard Rachlin speculates about scholarly work that might have been. It explores how behavioral data might bear on philosophical issues, with examples that might be called case studies in experimental philosophy. In 1964, an issue of the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society served a similar function. It was entitled "Psychology: A Behavioral Interpretation"; the papers included "Will," "Experience," "Appetite," "Humors," "Anxiety," and "Man." This presentation imagines what a contemporary project devoted to philosophical and behavior analytic perspectives on the topics of causation, freedom and volition, good and evil, time, words, and mind might have looked like. Along the way it notes how the project would have benefitted from Howard Rachlin's seminal contributions to both behavior analysis and philosophy. If ever such a project comes to pass, it will inevitably bear the stamp of his contributions.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2023 · doi:10.1002/jeab.807