Camila Muchon de Melo

EVENTOS PRIVADOS E PRIVACIDADE NO BEHAVIORISMO RADICAL: A QUESTÃO DA OBSERVABILIDADE CIRCUNSTANCIALMENTE RESTRITA (Private Events and Privacy in Radical Behaviorism: A Circumstantially Restricted Observability Issue)

Resumo A teoria de eventos privados tem sido alvo de intensos debates e controversias,apesar de configurar-se como o modo mais comum de abordageme explicacao de fenomenos subjetivos no Behaviorismo Radical. O presentetrabalho insere-se nessa discussao, buscando deslindar o conceito deevento privado e a nocao de privacidade nele implicado. A partir das definicoese usos do termo encontrados na literatura da area, propoe-se aconsideracao do termo evento privado como evento comportamental deobservabilidade circunstancialmente restrita. Nesse sentido, afastando-sede acepcoes como “interno”, “unico”, ou ainda, “inobservavel em principio”,a nocao de privacidade e compreendida como observabilidade circunstancialmenterestrita. Destaca-se que o conceito de eventos privados podeser utilizado na explicacao do comportamento desde que tomado em umacompreensao relacional e contextual. Palavras-chave: Eventos Privados, Privacidade, Behaviorismo Radical. Abstract The private event theory has been subject of intense debates and controversies,although it is accepted as the most common way to approach andexplain subjective phenomena in Radical Behaviorism. This work is partof this discussion and seeks to disentangle the concept of private eventand the notion of privacy involved in it. From the definitions and uses ofthe term found in the specialized literature, consideration of private eventterm as behavioral event with circumstantially restricted observabilityis proposed. In this sense, diverging from meanings as “inner”, “unique”or “unobservable in principle”, the notion of privacy is comprehended interms of a circumstantially restricted observability. It is emphasized thatthe concept of private events may be used in the explanation of behaviorsince it is considered into a relational and contextual comprehension. Key words: Private Events, Privacy, Radical Behaviorism. Resumen La teoria de los eventos privados ha sido objeto de intensos debates y controversias,a pesar de que se ha aceptado como la forma mas comun de abordar y explicarlos fenomenos subjetivos en el Conductismo Radical. Este trabajo es parte de estadiscusion, en su empeno de desentranar el concepto de evento privado y la nocionde privacidad que participan en ella. A partir de las definiciones y usos del terminoque se encuentran en la literatura especializada, se propone la consideracion deevento privado como un evento conductual con observabilidad circunstancialmenterestringida. En este sentido, se aparta de significados como “interno”, “unico”, o “noobservable en principio”; mientras la nocion de privacidad se entiende en terminosde observabilidad circunstancialmente restringida. Es de destacar que el conceptode eventos privados se puede utilizar en la explicacion del comportamiento si esconsiderado desde una comprension relacional y contextual. Palabras clave: Eventos Privados, Privacidad, Conductismo Radical. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21615/cesp.9.2.2

SOME RELATIONS BETWEEN CULTURE, ETHICS AND TECHNOLOGY IN B. F. SKINNER

B. F. Skinner was engaged, throughout all his career, in finding ways to make life, culture and the world better through behavior analysis. The tools developed by the science of behavior may be used for technological ends. At the same time, a philosophy—Radical Behaviorism—discusses the theoretical basis for science and its possible relations with technology. Ethics emerges from these relations and Skinner had to face inevitable ethical questions. We will examine some aspects of Skinner’s radical behaviorist approach on ethics and the relations established between science, technology, culture and ethics. The technology of teaching, proposed by Skinner in 1968, will be addressed as the best example of a behavioral technology which, as a cultural intervention, based on behavioral science, may contribute to achieve ethical goals: in others words, to build a better life and a better world - according to Skinner´s understanding of “better.”