I appreciate this clarification. The point is meant to be about, as you say, the empirical sciences. I agree that there can be arbitrarily sophisticated scientific theories concerning rational behaviour—just that these theories aren’t straight-forwardly continuous with the theories of natural science.
I appreciate this clarification. The point is meant to be about, as you say, the empirical sciences. I agree that there can be arbitrarily sophisticated scientific theories concerning rational behaviour—just that these theories aren’t straight-forwardly continuous with the theories of natural science.
In case you haven’t encountered it and may be interested, the underdetermination problem associated with inferring to beliefs and desires from mere behaviour has been considered in some depth by Donald Davidson, eg in his [http://books.google.com/books/about/Essays_on_actions_and_events.html?id=Bj2HHI0c2RIC Essays on Actions and Events]