# Chomsky obliterates Skinner

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chomsky-obliterates-skinner/196859>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [August 22, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chomsky-obliterates-skinner/196859 "2003-08-22T03:51:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jonr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6f9a4e/32.png) [@jonr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonr)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chomsky-obliterates-skinner/196859/1 "2003-08-22T03:51:22Z")

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I found this message board while looking for a way to let Cecil know he had not done his usual first rate job in his column about the fate of B.F. Skinner. I hope this is in the right place to post it.

Skinner and behaviorism never recovered from Noam Chomsky’s review of Skinner’s 1957 book, “Verbal Behavior”. Chomsky demonstrated that it is impossible to explain language acquisition with the behaviorist stimulus/response model and in general that intermal, innate mental structures need to be considered for any coherent, non-trivial theory of language and behavior. I am not aware of any behaviorist response, and Chomsky’s views (on this matter) have carried the day. Stephen Pinker for example writes best sellers that adopt Chomsky’s views.

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chomsky-obliterates-skinner/196859/2 "2003-08-22T04:17:02Z")

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Link to the article you referred to, **jonr** :  
[Whatever became of B. F. Skinner?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030815.html)

Welcome to the SDMB.

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**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\
**Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chomsky-obliterates-skinner/196859/3 "2003-08-22T20:40:54Z")

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It is an enormous exaggeration to say that Chomsky obliterated Skinner with a single book review.

B.F. Skinner’s theories encompass far more than how people learn to speak, which is essentially what Chomsky’s research was about. Skinner was studying behavior in general, including pigeons, who don’t talk at all.

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chomsky-obliterates-skinner/196859/4 "2003-08-23T03:29:48Z")

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Some pigeons not only talk, they get elected to the U.S. Senate… or run for Governor of California.

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**Author:** ![MusicJunkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@MusicJunkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MusicJunkie)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chomsky-obliterates-skinner/196859/5 "2003-08-23T18:35:31Z")

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Behaviorism is not stymulus response psychology, at least not Skinner’s radical behaviorism. Watson’s on the other hand, was.