While still searching for the explanation B. F. Skinner provides for the term “common sense,” I came across this statement about “truth” in About Behaviorism (emphasis mine):
The truth of a statement of fact is limited by the sources of the behavior of the speaker, the control exerted by the current setting, the effects of similar settings in the past, the effects upon the listener leading to precision or to exaggeration or falsification, and so on.” (Skinner, 1974)
Take this statement and apply it to my previous post, Can you find the truth on social media? Of particular significance to me is the control exerted by the current setting — meaning the control exerted by the social media platform owners for example, Google, (the ability for the context creator to earn money and social importance is highly reinforcing), in addition to the the control exerted by the audience (likes, subscribes).
(I just received a message from Medium stating that I have reached my daily limit of posts. I am only writing and setting my posts to publish at a future date, one at a time. Hmmm…..
“…control exerted by the current setting…”)
