Perspicacious (adjective)
Having or showing keen mental perception.z In the 1950s, the theory of behaviorism dominated the social
sciences. Popularized by the writings of psychologists John B.
Watson and B. F. Skinner, behaviorism argued that all behavior,
including language, could be explained by a few laws of stimulus
and response.
ż Noam Chomsky, now widely recognized as the father of
modern linguistics but a relatively unknown scholar at the time,
saw holes in this theory that others missed. He revolutionized
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Verbal Behavior.ż As described by Steven Pinker in The Language Instinct,
Chomsky’s critique of behaviorism was twofold: First, he
argued that if language is simply a collection of learned
responses, we would be unable to come up with novel
sentences. Second, he pointed out that children have an innate
instinct for language and the ability to generate linguistic rules.ż Chomsky, in other words, was far too perspicacious to be taken
in by the claims of behaviorism. He perceived gaps in the
theory that others had missed.z Perspicacious FRPHV IURP WKH /DWLQ SUH¿[per-, meaning
“through,” and the Latin root that is usually spelled spec or spic,
meaning “look.” In other words, those who are perspicacious have
the ability to “look through” the surface of things.z Synonyms and related words for perspicacious include acute,
astute, discerning, penetrating, sagacious, and sapient.