Topic > Analysis of Cartesian dualism and logical behaviorism

Behaviorism is all statements about minds or mental events that can be expressed in terms of behaviors (ontology). Ryle states that mental or intentional acts are ways of behaving. It's okay to use behaviorism if we recognize that when we talk about bodies, to describe them as certain behaviors that are observable and that we can identify as things. Don't separate it as characteristics that make us behave but as behaviors. There is a logical distinction between the mental and the physical. One is external and the other is internal. All physical things, including the human body, belong to the external world while the states and processes of one's mind are internal (Nath 2003). Without the mind, we would not be able to distinguish between intentional and accidental behaviors since the mind is the only way to describe how actions happen. Ryle disapproves of what happens “inside” the mental, because he believes that the “mental” must be observable in some way. Therefore, when Descartes' doctrine states that “mental events occur in isolated fields” (Ryle 33), Ryle calls it incorrect. He does not deny the presence of the mind, rather he criticizes the way in which Descartes explains it. After rejecting Descartes' mind-body dualism, Ryle states that when we talk about a person's mind we are actually talking about his abilities, liabilities and inclinations to do. The mind is made up of sensations,