SSC
Read History Of Philosophy Backwards
Scott argues for the value of studying historical philosophy by 'reading it backwards' to unlearn assumptions and broaden perspective, even when past ideas seem obviously wrong.
6 min read 916 words
A thread through the archive
reductionism
Essays tagged “reductionism”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on reductionism
4 essaysLW
Secrets of the eliminati
Scott argues that mental states like beliefs and preferences may not exist as unified entities in the brain, but rather emerge from collections of behaviors and contextual responses.
6 min read 829 words
LW
Voluntary Behavior, Conscious Thoughts
Scott presents Skinner's definition of voluntary behavior as that which is transparent to reinforcement, then extends this framework to explain the perceived unity of consciousness and the feeling of a core 'self'.
7 min read 1,033 words
LW
The Power of Positivist Thinking
Scott defends a 'soft positivism' in which meaningful statements can be reduced to testable claims, and argues that statements that resist such reduction, like 'Islam is a religion of peace', often smuggle in emotion and prejudice.
18 min read 2,712 words