B.F. Skinner's Walden Two

The first chapter of Walden Two illustrates the conflict Rogers and Jamnik have with contemporary society. This is the world that is external to and removed from the utopia of Walden Two. Because of their lack of fulfillment and disappointment with contemporary society, they seek out their former professor to guide them to some resolution. When Rogers tells Professor Burris about an article on utopia from one of his former students, T. E. Frazier, a series of events is set in motion that leads Rogers, Jamnik, Burris, and Augustine Castle to the utopia known as Walden Two.

We explore the utopia of Walden Two from the perspective of its protagonist and narrator, Professor Burris. While Burris is initially skeptical, he is also unfulfilled and dissatisfied with his current occupation in life. Therefore, Burris is not a truly reliable narrator. While he is at Walden Two, he becomes increasingly attracted to the possibilities of a true science of behavior, including the design of personality, talents, and other abilities. The potential for such a science to rob human beings of dignity and individuality is great. Because he is unhappy with his own life, Burris' attraction for such a science remains suspect.

The self-confidence and arrogance expressed by Frazier and his argumentative nature actually add to the reader's ability to judge Walden Two in a more critical manner. This is because Frazier's arrogance, smug demeanor, and argumentative nat

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ctive pursuit of leisure not work. We see this most with Burris, who is unfulfilled in his university job and looks forward to more leisure time when he leaves his position, in order to have "�time to write, time to think, time to evaluate. Time to plan," (Skinner 9). FIVE Experimentation is a very significant aspect of life at Walden Two, especially since Frazier views the entire community as a laboratory for experimentation. The city Planners and Managers use experiments to help them fashion a science that will result in "ideal" human beings. The Planners design different experiments that are meant to demonstrate how to develop an ideal group of human beings. These experiments are significant, for they "�make possible a genuine science of human behavior" the main goal of the overall "experiment" of Walden Two (Skinner 274). Experimentation is also important in child rearing, for it raises children who exhibit the ideals considered "ideal" by the Planners. SIX The children in Walden Two are reared and educated to make "�contributions to the health, leisure, happiness, and amusement of the community" (157). Negative reinforcement or punishment is abandoned in favor of positive conditioning or reward as the means of educating

Category: Psychology - B