Walden Two by B. F. Skinner
"Walden Two" is a novel by psychologist B.F. Skinner, exploring the concept of a utopian community designed using behaviorist principles. The story follows a group of individuals, including a psychology professor named Burris and two World War II veterans, as they visit Walden Two, a society established by a former classmate, T.E. Frazier. This community, comprised of about one thousand inhabitants, exemplifies Skinner's ideas on behavioral engineering, showcasing how a managed system of stimuli and rewards can create a harmonious and environmentally sustainable lifestyle.
The narrative serves as both a fictional exploration and a guide to the ideals of behaviorism, raising questions about human nature, social harmony, and the potential for societal improvement. While some behaviorists view the novel as a valuable framework for addressing social issues, critics, particularly advocates of individual freedoms, express concerns over its implications for personal autonomy and conformity. Over the years, "Walden Two" has garnered renewed interest, especially amidst contemporary issues like pollution and overpopulation, prompting discussions on the balance between societal good and individual rights.
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Walden Two by B. F. Skinner
Identification Utopian novel about communal living
Author B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)
Date First published in 1948
Largely ignored after its initial publication, Walden Two took on a new readership during the 1960’s because of renewed popular interest in experiments in communal living. Its title is a reference to Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden (1854).
An attempt by its author, the noted psychologistB. F. Skinner, to demonstrate how the principles of behaviorism could be used to design a more ideal society, Walden Two was rejected by two publishers before it found its way into print. Over time, however, with growing popular concern about threats to the planet (such as pollution, overpopulation, and persistent armed conflict) occasioned largely by human irresponsibility, Skinner’s ideas of behavioral engineering attracted greater attention.
Narrated by a psychology professor named Burris, who accepts the invitation of a former student (Rogers) and his friend (Jamnik), both World War II veterans, to investigate the utopian community established by a former graduate school classmate(T. E. Frazier), most of the book is essentially a guidebook to Walden Two, a showcase for the behaviorist theories of Frazier, Skinner’s fictional surrogate. Rogers and Jamnik, aimless after the war, are searching for answers as to why people cannot live in peace with one another. With their girlfriends in tow as well as Burris and a colleague in philosophy (Castle), they undertake a three-day visit to Frazier’s rural community to find out how he managed to engineer a society of one thousand happy, productive, environmentally friendly, and nonviolent inhabitants by means of a managed system of stimuli and rewards.
Impact
The novel has become a lightning rod on the topic of applied psychology with some behaviorists, who regard the book as a thought-provoking guide for handling social problems, and most advocates of individual freedom and self-determination, who decry the book’s emphasis on behavioral modification and social conformity.
Bibliography
Bjork, Daniel W. B. F. Skinner: A Life. New York: Basic Books, 1993.
Kuhlmann, Hilke. Living Walden Two: B. F. Skinner’s Behaviorist Utopia and Experimental Communities. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2005.