Burrhus Frederic Skinner was born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania in 1904. He attended a small liberal arts college in New York called Hamilton College, and moved back home after school with the hopes of becoming an established writer. However, after making little progress in the field, he chose to attend graduate school in psychology at Harvard University. He completed his dissertation in 1931 and began doing research as well as teaching in Minnesota and Indiana. He eventually went back to teach at Harvard in 1948, where he remained until his death in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1990.
Walden Two is Skinner’s only work of fiction and was written in 1945 and published three years later. The book was written as World War Two was ending, a time
…show more content…
when many academics were searching for radical solutions to societal problems in the United States and in Europe. Skinner was a pioneer in developing the theory of behaviorism. He thought that psychologists could not make conclusions based on unobservable human desires and beliefs, rather they should focus their studies on what they can see is true of human behavior. Walden Two was influenced by Skinner’s research with rats. He was able to prove that positive reinforcement could be used to control their behavior. The turbulent times and Skinner’s psychological studies played a great part in the development of the ideas he sets forth in the novel. Burris, a professor of psychology is the protagonist and narrator of the novel.
In the beginning of the book, Rogers, a former student of Burris, along with his friend Steve arrive at his office after serving in the Philippines during World War Two. Rogers and Steve are looking for an alternative to the American society they live in. Burris recalls that an old friend from graduate school spoke of such a place, named T. E. Frazier. Burris agrees to contact Frazier and pass along any information he can find. A few days later, Burris receives word from Frazier that his utopian community, Walden Two, is alive and well. Frazier encourages Burris to visit and bring his friends. On his way to see Rogers, Burris runs into Augustine Castle, a philosopher who has taught a number of courses on utopia. Castle is interested in the Walden Two community and asks to visit with Burris, who agrees to take him. When Burris and Rogers meet that afternoon, Steve, Rogers’ girlfriend Barbara, and Steve’s girlfriend Mary accompany them. They all agree to visit Walden Two and meet Frazier at an agreed upon spot, where he picks them up and drives them to the …show more content…
community. The community is a collection of large earth colored buildings amidst a span of farmland.
As they walk, they notice that a fence made to hold sheep is made only of poles and thin string. Frazier explains that they used to have an electrified fence, but the sheep steer clear of the fence whether it is electrified or not. Frazier goes on to point out the roads they have built, the pond they maintain as a reservoir, the trees they planted to use as separations between different areas, and so on and so forth. Frazier tells them that the dining, recreation, and work areas are communal. These buildings are also all connected, so as to avoid poor weather conditions. They leave the pond and journey to a communal lounge. There they meet Mrs. Meyerson, who is in charge of “Clothing for Women”, which includes clothing, childcare, and other “interests of women”. Frazier explains that they have greatly improved their method of serving tea, making it more efficient. Castle dismisses the idea, calling it a trivial matter, while Burris finds their interaction to be comical. Burris observes that all the women in the community seem attractive and Frazier says that nobody in the community was chosen based on appearance. Mrs. Meyerson explains that they are not constrained by fashion, because trends change so slowly and clothing is conserved. A group of proper looking children pass by, and Frazier mentions that at the age of seven every child has a “debut”, at which point they begin to eat
meals with the community. Burris notes that the men are not dressed as nicely as the women, and Frazier replies that men and women are not fully equal yet. After their time in the lounge, the group goes to their rooms before rejoining for dinner. On the way to dinner, Frazier explains that as opposed to operating one big facility for dining, it is more efficient to operate two smaller facilities. People have different work schedules and if one dinnertime becomes crowded, people will simply come another time. They finally enter the dinning area, and each room contains half a dozen tables with varying themes. Eating is self-serve, and their automated dishwasher operated by two members of the community is noticeably less work than the traditional method. Next, the group congregates in a lounge where Burris thanks Frazier for his hospitality. Frazier explains that nobody is paid in Walden Two and that everything is free. As a member of the community, he must satisfy four “labor credits” each day. Easy work takes longer to earn a credit, while less desirable work requires less time to earn credit. Being their tour guide is earning him labor credits. The only jobs that do not fit into the model of using credits are the managers and planners. Managers are in charge of certain aspects of the community such as food, health, labor, education, and so on while there are six planners who are responsible for policy as a whole. Managers work there way up the ranks, and propose new planners. Previous planners select new planners from the pool of individuals that the managers have proposed. Castle is skeptical of the system of work and questions how they can get any work done. Frazier points out that people are less productive when working for a boss as opposed to themselves and that in an 8-hour workday, the second half of the day is less productive. The next day at lunch, Frazier explains that the community uses technology to avoid unnecessary work as much as possible. Walden Two is not completely self-sufficient and therefore must sell products to neighboring towns. Later at dinner, Burris and Frazier discuss what makes an artist. Burris believes there must be a biological element to being artistic, while Frazier claims all that matters is having an environment conducive to art. There is the question of what people do when they are only working four hours a day. It allows for a large amount of leisure time, which can be spent at a concert or dance, as they have daily events and activities. The next morning, the group tours a school, starting with the nursery where babies are kept in cubicles for the first year of their life. Castle questions whether the children feel “motherly love” and Frazier counters that they feel an abundance of love. Castle questions whether children feel jealous of one another. Frazier answers that in a planned community there is no jealousy because competitiveness is useless. These emotions have been removed through behavioral engineering. From the beginning of their life, members of the community are conditioned to do what is best for society. The community is focused on keeping its members happy and healthy. It is a large-scale experiment, so new social practices are implemented and monitored often with the hope of improving their quality of life. At the end of the story, there are mixed reactions to the community. Castle finds it detestable and constantly doubts its achievability. Burris is skeptical but intrigued by the concepts Frazier describes. Steve and Mary decide to stay at Walden Two. Though Rodge would like to stay, Barbara is against it and he goes home with her. Burris is on his way home, yet changes his mind and decides to take a chance in the possibility of utopia.
In Chapter 4, In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing, the author Lauren Slater starts the chapter off telling the true story of how a young woman, Kitty Genovese, was brutally murdered and raped outside of her apartment complex. What was most shocking in the aftermath is there were a total of 38 witnesses and not a single person did anything to help her. This raised many concerns as to why the witnesses did nothing. When they were being interviewed by the cops, they stated that they just did not want to get involved(p.94), thus “diffusing responsibility”, this is a term used by two psychologists John Darley and Bibb Latane, who were very concerned with and wanted to understand why nothing was done to aid young Kitty Genovese as she was being stabbed and raped.
B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two is the fictitious account of an eclectic group’s visit to a modern utopian community started by psychologist T.E. Frazier. Authors often depict “perfect societies” in novels, as the subject holds wide appeal and great creative opportunity. Aldous Huxley envisioned a Brave New World; Lois Lowry wove the tale of The Giver. What sets Walden Two apart from such books? Simply stated, Skinner’s work truly does not seem as if it belongs in the fantasy or fiction genre, as the others do. The novel reads as an actual experiment, albeit one performed in a text-only version of the world. The author perfectly follows the steps of a scientific investigation throughout the plot, meeting nearly all goals of the scientific enterprise. This approach leaves readers practically incapable of brushing the novel’s bold statements off as fiction: to do so feels equivalent to denying a proven reality.
This excerpt from "Walden" by Henry D. Thoreau uses the literary element of word choice to express the importance of living simply and taking life slow. He uses bold and eloquent words to evoke a sense of peace and relaxation. He stresses the importance of living a life without unnecessary anxiety, for it causes nothing but stress. To understand and appreciate what is truly wonderful in life, we must forgo our rushing mindsets
Walden and Desert Solitaire head down the trail toward natural truths together from the very beginning in terms of their organization and set up. Both works are separated into several vignettes that express the personal experiences of the writers. Nestled within each of these chapters are themes of man’s communion with the natural world, modernization, and the freeing effect that can come with isolation. Both texts also have a similar introduction that sets up the vignettes and gives the reader an idea of the author’s state of mind and reason for writing. Thoreau begins with, “When I wrote the following pages, or ...
Castle closed the book deliberately and set it aside. He had purposefully waited half a decade to read Walden Two after its initial publication, because, years after parting from Frazier and his despotic utopia, he could not shake the perturbation the community inspired. But, eight years later, he had grown even more frustrated with himself at his apparent inability to look at the situation calmly. In a fit of willfulness, he had pulled the unopened volume from its top shelf, and now he was hoping that that had been a good idea. His daily temperament, to say the least, had suffered from his continual aggravation. Something had to be done about this.
Walden Two In B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two, Skinner presents many positive changes to society in his utopia, such as: division of labor, encouragement of perusing your own interests in education, and absolute equality. In Walden Two, a member is paid in credits that are required by the society. Each person earns a certain amount of credits per hour for every job they do. Everyone is expected to receive 4-6 credits per day.
The book opens up at the office of a professor named Burris. A former student of his, Rogers, and his friend, Steve, arrive at his office. They are disturbed by the current state of life in America and have come to Burris to ask him about the utopia that he had once discussed in class. Rodgers got his inspiration from an article written by a man named Frazier. It turns out Frazier, a friend of Burris’s from graduate school, is also where Burris got his ideas. Burris sends
Henry David Thoreau wanted to express his thoughts to the world. He did so by writing Walden a book that gives insights on the world from Thoreau’s point of view. “Walden” gives valuable advice in all types of fields. It shows aspects of Thoreau’s personality and how he views the world. To the best of my knowledge, Henry has many characteristics that he expressed in this book. Most of what he wrote was impressive. Honestly, I was extremely enthusiastic about reading this. Initially, I thought it would be a book like Great Expectations. But my expectations were wrong. I did not think I would actually learn things. Surprisingly, it sparked motivation in me. I wanted to be more in touch with nature. It seemed like Henry David Thoreau had everything figured out. He was calm and thoughtful and he seemed to look at life in a different way. Being in solitude in nature must really get you in touch with your inner self. It allows you to look at your flaws and look at your talents. I was greatly intrigued by every page of Walden.
Why do so few Americans not see all of the problems in society? Do they simply not care or are they not able to see them? With Thoreau's statement, "To be awake is to be alive", he implies that Americans have their eyes closed to these issues. They do not choose to overlook these issues but they simply pass them by because their eyes are shut. Some people are not able to grasp the concept in Thoreau's statement and find it to be foreign or subversive because it threatens the way the see the world.
Current students at the University of Maryland know the Skinner Building as home to the Communication, Philosophy and Nutrition and Food Science departments, but William Woolford Skinner did not concentrate his studies in any of these subjects. Throughout the course of the Skinner Building’s history, it has shifted its uses multiple times. Although, since being renamed after Skinner it has never served any major science subjects, Skinner’s
When thinking about the transcendental period and/or about individuals reaching out and submerging themselves in nature, Henry David Thoreau and his book, Walden, are the first things that come to mind. Unknown to many, there are plenty of people who have braved the environment and called it their home during the past twenty years, for example: Chris McCandless and Richard Proenneke. Before diving into who the “modern Thoreaus” are, one must venture back and explore the footprint created by Henry Thoreau.
I awoke before the first rays of sunlight had passed through the dew-covered trees to the west today. It had rained the evening before, and the smell of wet leaves and grass was still lingering in the air.
Lauren Slater begins this chapter by expressing the controversy B.F Skinner caused in his time. Did he take his experiments too far? Was he truly revolutionary? Through all of the controversy, Slater comes to the conclusion that Skinner was revolutionary and influential for all scientist to come. Skinner began his research at Harvard University, looking into psychological experiments that would help our world become a better place, a place where we people could take action. In his experiments, he was able to uncover the science behind behavior and make animals react based on cues in their environments.
In the chapter The Village from the book Walden, Henry David Thoreau states that society loves to hear and spread gossip all around the town. Thoreau goes on to claim that because the citizens in the town are so focused on getting the next scandal, they have missed out on getting in touch with who they are and nature. He also subtly suggests that people should follow in the same footsteps as himself by removing themselves from society so that they can only focus on themselves and nature. I qualify this claim that gossip distracts society from finding their true selves because not all gossip is distracting or bad but I do agree with Thoreau on the fact that people get engulfed in gossip and become distracted from more important things in life.
Walden; or, Life in the Woods was written by Henry David Thoreau during his time spent living in a one room cabin in the woods found at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. While staying at his cabin he explored both the depths of nature and humanity. Thoreau played a large role in the transcendentalist movement which focused on the relationship between all living things. Staying at his cabin Thoreau lived with just the basic necessity of life, he did not work to make a fortune but just enough to support himself and explore the true personal happiness.