Behaviorism is an approach to the study of individuals and society that relies on data or information observed and measured by the senses of perception (sight, hearing, etc.). Modern social science relies heavily on behaviorism. It is essentially the application of the scientific method of empirical observation to human psychology and society. This involves looking at behavior, or human actions, rather than motives, reason, or other aspects of human life, claiming that this method of study yields greater knowledge of human nature and society than traditional philosophical rational or spiritual approaches. Behaviorism claims only to "describe" the facts, not to evaluate or to judge them. It claims to be "value-free" science, as opposed to imposing some interpretation or standard (from ethics, culture, religion) from outside the observed phenomenon. So, for example, a behaviorist political scientist studies the voting behavior of different social groups (e.g., women, Catholics, southerners) but does not evaluate or judge their wisdom or "rightness"; just the "facts" are reported. Critics of behaviorism assert that this ethical neutrality is itself a value judgment. Most Western social sciences (psychology, sociology, political science) rely at least in part on behaviorism.

The philosophical foundation of behaviorism is found in Thomas Hobbes, especially his book Leviathan, in which it is posited that humans are governed by sensory stimulation (pleasure and pain) and that the movements prompted by those sensations explain human activity. This contrasts with the classical (Aristotle) view that humans are governed by reason and the religious view (e.g., St. Thomas Aquinas) that people are at least potentially governed by faith and morals. Hobbes's perspective produces a hedonism and ethical relativism contrary to much of the Western political tradition. His emphasis on power, wealth, and other worldly qualities renders behaviorism one of the aspects of modern political realism.

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