Abstract

Gregory Bateson's research spanned many fields. The critical literature on him is mostly limited to assessments of his work within anthropology, psychology, and ethology. This study assesses Bateson's contribution to the methodology of the behavioral sciences generally. It proceeds by applying his methods to the ancient question, "Why does man pursue virtue?" and to its modern rephrasing in terms of excellence or achievement. Bateson himself only touched on this question without answering it. ;To evaluate Bateson's methodological approach against other approaches in the behavioral sciences, this study examines how other thinkers have explained achievement, using Bateson's tools and methods to critique or restate their conclusions. Major positions examined include those of Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Spinoza, Nietzsche, Freud, Skinner, and McClelland. ;The principle conclusion drawn from this study is that Bateson's approach accounts for earlier explanations of achieving behavior within a broader framework suggesting new insights with more practical applications. Its success in explaining achievement argues for its general significance within the behavioral sciences. The approach involves a fundamental rethinking of what Aristotle called "formal causation." Cybernetics, information theory, organization theory and the other new mathematical theories comprising the cognitive sciences all purport to explain as well as describe our world. Bateson's work helps explain how this is possible. ;Bateson's essential contribution is his contextual theory of learning, which directly challenges the associational theory of learning that underlies most modern empirical research in the behavioral sciences. Bateson explains phenomena as diverse as character development and creativity, mammalian play and certain forms of schizophrenia in terms of hierarchies of context and the conflicts between them. And he does so within the generally accepted parameters of evolutionary theory that informs our modern understanding of biology and behavioral science. ;It is a major achievement and, as a first attempt to comprehend the foundations of a cognitive science still in its fledgling stages, will likely be appreciated more as time goes on