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Humility, Science, and Etiological Behaviorism

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Summary

Arrogance and combativeness is a sure path to resistance and has doubtless been responsible for more than a few of the difficulties the field of behavior analysis and science in general have encountered. On the other hand an inappropriate humility is a sure course toward being ignored and our science disregarded. More humility of the sort espoused above and in Neuringer’s article coupled with a less humble commitment to the scientific process could go a long way toward advancing the analysis of behavior beyond its promising beginning.

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Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by NIMH grant 37892.

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Timberlake, W., Delamater, A.R. Humility, Science, and Etiological Behaviorism. BEHAV ANALYST 14, 37–41 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392550

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