Science And Human Behavior

Customer Reviews:

Very helpful conceptualization of a science of human behavior.......2007-02-02

I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) so I am probably biased. Now that that is spelled out, I will write this message: "Science and Human Behavior" is an awesome and enlightening read!

Behaviorism (Behavior Analysis) is a growing field. As more people get comfortable with the idea of a true science of human behavior, we will make strides in predicting and controlling human behavior. In the future, the controllers or nurturers (parents, teachers, coaches, military leaders, politicians, bosses, etc.) will have an evidenced-based science of human behavior to change people in positive ways. Effective checks can also be developed to control the new science of human behavior as B.F. Skinner recommends. This science and knowledge sure beats the haphazard techniques politicians, bosses, etc. use to influence people to do the right behaviors in order to achieve a common goal.

Perhaps some day the nurtured (controlled) and nurturers (controllers) will work together to make the world a better place. People surrender themselves to the controllers with employment, military service, sports team participation and so forth. Why not study those controls scientifically?

The truth shall set you beyond free.......2004-04-11

1/3 of this book covers basic conditioning as seen in all animals, including humans. Much of this was established experimentally with rats and pigeons but the discussion here is in terms of humans. There are no diagrams or pictures in this section, which can get rather dry.

The remaining 2/3 of the book covers topics associated more with humans such as thinking, private events, the self, institutions and culture. Skinner refers to institutions such as the government, religions, psychotherapy, economic groups and education as "controlling agencies". His scientific approach of these agencies overlaps the artistic rendering of addictive systems by the very different William Burroughs in "Naked Lunch", but between the two of them one can get a good sense of how one's actions are conditioned.

For millenia, for lack of scientific application, speculative systems have been dominate. The Greeks were masters of such systemization, which culminated in "The Enneads" by Plotinus, an amazingly unified and satisfying work consisting almost exclusively of explanatory fictions. Such comfort systems seem to have a strong hold on people. Much of modern psychology is not an advance on "The Enneads". Look at how much of cognitive psychology is speculative, lacking in any experimental confirmation.

There is a great opportunity here for you. At this time, half a century after this book's publication, behaviorism is not well supported. To be sure, there are practicing behaviorists and some excellent progress in the application of behavioral analysis. But behaviorism seems to be heavily resisted, as Skinner himself recognized. This book has excited me. Read it and if it indeed excites you, even as a layperson, see what you can do to apply it and to educate others about it. The opportunity is that there is still a lot to learn about how to apply it in our everyday life. This stuff is too important not to embrace...well, see what you think.

Critics ignorant of pragmatic value.......2003-06-04

Harsh criticism of Skinner has typically come from arm chair philosophers more concerned with sounding progressive than with helping or understanding people. Science and Human Behavior has contributed and continues to contribute to valuable application and research in Psychology. A standing challenge to any critic would be to find a book that can match Science and Human Behavior's contributions to the application of science for the welfare of humanity.

The weaknesses of behaviorism are apparent here.......2003-03-23

BF's Skinner's early work in operant conditioning through laboratory research on animals is generally regarded as a lasting and significant contribution to science and psychology. However, Skinner's works on human behavior, including this one, attempt to generalize to all human behavior the model he developed and used to predict and control animal behavior under highly controlled conditions.

In Science and Human Behavior, Skinner repeatedly offers, as the reason for a given behavior's occurrence, the explanation that it is "reinforced," and advocates that we abandon the traditional discourse used to explain human behavior through reference to intention, desire, will, thoughts, and feelings. Instead, Skinner argues that a science of behavior can improve upon such explanations by using the jargon of operant conditioning theory.

In operant conditioning theory, "reinforcement" is the process whereby a behavior is strengthened by the process of associating it with a consequence, and Skinner shows little regard for the precise technical meaning of this word when he makes many uses of this term and its derivations (reinforce, reinforcer, reinforcing). For example, he writes the following: "Education is a profession, the members of which engage in education primarily because of economic reinforcement." It is hard to see what this assertion means, as the behavioral antecedents to "economic reinforcement" that constitute the "profession" of "education" remain undefined. Furthermore, such an assertion is comically out of touch with the reality that many teachers, who could make much more money in other professions, might object to having their primary motive for teaching characterized this way. Perhaps what is meant here is that "economic reinforcement" (money) strengthens the "behavior" of teaching more efficiently than any other reinforcer, in which case it seems that Skinner is applying a truism-that people work when they get paid for it, and stop working when they don't. Whatever the case, such statements as this one, which litter this book, seem remarkably short of any scientific authority or interest.

One might argue that since virtually all of the haphazardly placed illustrative applications of his jargon to actual human behavior are as brief and platitudinous as the one mentioned, they shouldn't be taken literally, but seen as rhetorical devices in service of explaining his conceptual model. But some might wish that Skinner took seriously the burden of demonstrating that what he asserts is both verified by the scientific method, and a non-trivial improvement on what is already known. In absence of either, this book is mostly an amusing glimpse at an outdated approach to psychology that simply has not delivered on its promise to find mechanisms for the effective control of human behavior, unless you count its contribution to the management of prisons, mental hospitals, and other highly controlled environments that approximate the inhumane conditions under which Skinner's lab rats lived.

Therefore, if you are interested, like me, in understanding the roots of Skinner's influence and an introduction to how he applies his basic concepts to human behavior, this book is a very profitable read. If you are looking for a work of actual scientific merit, this book has little to recommend.

A classic. Not for everyone.......2000-04-26

This is agreat book for anyone who has a good understanding of behavioral psychology. If you do, this book will help explain the concepts employed by psychologists today. It also gives the reader a good feel for the attitudes that prevailed in psychology in the 1950's. If you do not have a strong background in this area, I would suggest reading one of Skinner's later books first.

Average customer rating:

Brilliant
A masterpiece
Skinner ignores consciousness.
Interesting Book
Short, sweet guide to the radical behaviorist point of view

About Behaviorism
B.F. Skinner
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0394716183
Release Date: 1976-02-12

Book Description

The basic book about the controversial philosophy known as behaviorism, written by its leading exponent. Bibliography, index.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant.......2007-02-17

A letter to the editor (published in August 1990 in the Los Angeles Times, in response to Skinner's obituary) asked the following disturbing question:

For the all effort and money spent in research in psychology, has there been any progress whatsoever?

The letter-writer asked this question not only of the Skinnerian approach in psychology but of all approaches. He seemed to be rather knowledgable in psychology. (If I remember right, he granted that the effects of intermittent reinforcement may well be something non-obvious that the research has uncovered. His point was that there is not much more.)

I was disturbed by this allegation. However, I couldn't come up with
a smoking gun rebuttal (though my thoughts were along the lines of verbal behavior and programmed instruction.)

Rereading About Behaviorism last week, I feel that Chapter 2 of this book may be pointed to as an unassailable answer to the above question -- Skinner makes some points here that are true advances being made for the first time in the history of human thought. These are Skinner's views on what self-knowledge and introspection is, the special problems posed by them, and how we have "solved" them at least partially. Skinner's views on these may well undergo considerable revision in the future -- however, without his first statement, such an improvement would not have been possible.

According to Skinner, the responses involved in introspection and self-knowledge are nothing more than verbal reports to stimulations inside the body. (In other words, these are not some mysterious non-physical stuff. The mind-body problem is solved neatly.) Skinner points out that primitive nervous systems are involved in these reports (primitive because these nervous systems have evolved not for this purpose but for other purposes). He also points out that those teaching a child to report these accurately are at a loss since they cannot directly feel these stimulations. Skinner's other points are the following:

1. The basic law of effect is what stamps in behavior

2. Unquestionably, changes in the nervous system are involved when behavior is stamped in. However, these do not produce stimulations that the learner can sense, report, and thus know (since no such nervous system has evolved).

3. Thus introspection is useless in order to know when behavior change occurs. (Skinner is not denying the private world. He readily grants even the practial usefulness of it. However, his point is that behavior altering nervous system changes cannot be directly sensed.)

Unquestionably, all these are very difficult to understand. However, one needs to only compare these with what passes in general for psychological theory to appreciate how briliant Skinnerian theory is.

I hope that I have not misunderstood Skinner too badly.

A masterpiece.......2006-06-21

In Heinlein's classic novel Stranger in a Strange Land, he describes what he calls "fair witnesses," which are people trained to both observe and report what they observe as accurately, objectively, and logically as possible. For instance, ask a fair witness what the color is of the house to the east, and the fair witness will say, "The west wall of the house is blue." Why didn't the fair witness just say that the house is blue? Well, the fair witness cannot see the whole house; s/he can only see the west wall. Skinner, to me, is like the fair witness of psychology. In an interesting assignment, Skinner, after reinforcing successful approximations with food, had students watch a pigeon smoothly rotate counterclockwise and asked them to describe what they saw. They tended to write that the pigeon turned because it expected reinforcement, hoped it would get food, felt it would be rewarded, etc., instead of writing that food was given when the pigeon acted a certain way, or that the pigeon rotated until it was reinforced, etc. Skinner's point in writing about this is that his students failed to write down what they actually observed; they instead wrote about what they expected they themselves would have felt had they been in similar circumstances. Though such inferences are often legitimized by successful predictions and attributions in everyday experience with other people (as opposed to pigeons), and though such inferences are a valuable part of folk psychology, the very fact that such attributions are based on unobservables does pose an interesting dilemma for the methodologist concerned with precise measurement, quantification, control, manipulation, etc. Here, Skinner offers what is the best summary of his arguments. Behaviorism is NOT the science of behavior, but is rather the philosophy of the scientific analysis of behavior. It pertains to methodology, to what can be inferred from what can be observed. This is a landmark book, and all psychology students should have to read it.

Skinner ignores consciousness........2006-01-17

Skinner poses an interesting arguement, but it is confined the the operations of the mind. Unfortunately, western education boasts of the intellect and its various processes, while ignoring the most beautiful part of man, the consciousness. The consciousness is REAL not a concept to be tossed about in intellectual conversation, like many beleive. Take not my word on the topic but discover it for yourself. There are many books which address the workings of the consciousness, but I would personally recommend the writings of Samael Aun Weor. Start with Revolutionary Psychology or The Great Rebellion. While reading, be sincere with yourself, otherwise you are wasting your time. If persistent, one may discover the mysteries of the universe, including the other dimensions.

Interesting Book.......2005-09-25

Skinner is someone that one reading may not be enough, but his concepts are brilliant and it provided great discussion for my Behavior Therapy class.

Short, sweet guide to the radical behaviorist point of view.......2003-06-12

Written late in Skinner's life, this broadly-scoped statement of Skinner's philosophy is not only an outstanding, clear, and relatively nontechnical primer to Skinner's philosophy, but it is also one of the few places where Skinner undertook to defend his positions against critics, on exactly the same points that are still widely assumed to neatly dismiss not only Skinner, but all of his ideas - and sometimes the entire notion of behavioral science - in one specious swoop.

In mid-century, Skinner became strongly associated with the word 'behaviorism' (so much so that it is now common to see famous, well-published academics confusing him with Watson, the originator of the word 'behaviorism,' whose views and approach were fundamentally different.) Skinner's views are actually called "radical behaviorism" to distinguish them from others like Watsonian S-R behaviorism, Hull's neo-behaviorism, Tolman's purposive behaviorism, and so on. Radical behaviorism, as many prior behaviorisms, held that behavior was caused in ordinary natural ways, and hence that it could be studied just as scientifically as, say, biology was, with just as little unnecessary mystery. What made it 'radical,' however, was not really that it was more behaviorist than other behaviorism, but that it embraced the existence of only-privately-observed events, like one's thoughts and feelings, in such a way that they were also considered behavior. (cf. Skinner's quote, 'The skin is not so important as a boundary.')

Skinner's philosophy had other notable and idiosyncratic properties: Skinner held that behavior was profoundly controlled by the environment (read: that what we do is done with relation to the world - compare this to Pylyshyn's absurdly contrary claim that "human behavior is stimulus free," in other words that we are so stupid that we act without regard, e.g., to what time it is, what the judge just said, or how this restaurant was awful last time.) Skinner emphasized direct application of behavioral study to political problems, was a humanist who hated coercion and punishment, and - perhaps most famously - he was excessively picky about what words were used to describe behavior (going so far as to reject, on principle, virtually any use terminology smacking of 'mentalism,' - e.g., 'thought,' even though he took pains to point out his acceptance of private life). It is the persistent emphasis of environmental influence and the persistent suspicion of anything that smelled like 'mentalism' - appeal to spirits, res cogitae, homunculi, a vis viva, or a virtus dormitiva - that are now the most noted characteristics of Skinner's philosophy.

Skinner's own words will naturally be the most reliable representation of what he thought, and this is the best place to read those words. Whether or not you have any understanding of behavioral science or of Skinner's particular take on it, this book will give you the essential and relatively authoritative philosophical views contained in radical behaviorism - unpolluted by politically motivated revisionism. With an honest reading of an accurate source, one can evaluate each idea on its own merit, without needing to take sides pro or con in order to evaluate the basic plausibility of the many and strident competing claims about radical behaviorism.

Book Description

In this profound and profoundly controversial work, a landmark of 20th-century thought originally published in 1971, B. F. Skinner makes his definitive statement about humankind and society.

Insisting that the problems of the world today can be solved only by dealing much more effectively with human behavior, Skinner argues that our traditional concepts of freedom and dignity must be sharply revised. They have played an important historical role in our struggle against many kinds of tyranny, he acknowledges, but they are now responsible for the futile defense of a presumed free and autonomous individual; they are perpetuating our use of punishment and blocking the development of more effective cultural practices. Basing his arguments on the massive results of the experimental analysis of behavior he pioneered, Skinner rejects traditional explanations of behavior in terms of states of mind, feelings, and other mental attributes in favor of explanations to be sought in the interaction between genetic endowment and personal history. He argues that instead of promoting freedom and dignity as personal attributes, we should direct our attention to the physical and social environments in which people live. It is the environment rather than humankind itself that must be changed if the traditional goals of the struggle for freedom and dignity are to be reached.

Beyond Freedom and Dignity urges us to reexamine the ideals we have taken for granted and to consider the possibility of a radically behaviorist approach to human problems-one that has appeared to some incompatible with those ideals, but which envisions the building of a world in which humankind can attain its greatest possible achievements.

Customer Reviews:

little substance, annoying to read, and laughably dated.......2006-08-08

First let me say that aside from any of the ideas presented, this book deserves a low rating just because of how horribly it is written. Skinner has no real style and simply rattles of declarative sentences at such a monotonous pace that I was practically tearing my hair out at the end of the book. And for all the mechanistic nature of his writing, he's suprisingly inept at conveying a point.

But getting to the ideas contained therein. This book combines the very shaky "science" of behaviorism with the silliest doomsday rhetoric that was so typical of the decades following the invention of the atomic bomb. Skinner starts off by talking about how horrible the human race has thus far managed itself, how we are in danger at any second of annihilating ourselves. This kind of alarmism was probably very convincing in the 70s, but it hardly has any force with reasonable people today, who realize that, despite our flaws, we seem to be pretty good at surviving. Skinner then goes into the meat of his book, which is pretty much summed up by saying, "There is no circumstance under which humans are not controlled. It's just a matter of the form the control takes, and there's no such thing as an autonomous agent inside us. We need to accept that and engineer the perfect society by devising ways of control that are better."

If you read those three sentences, you don't really need to read "Beyond Freedom & Dignity," but for those who are curious, I'll say a few more words, mainly criticism. The first criticism is that, of course, Skinner just constantly and tediously repeats that it is an established scientific "fact" it is that we are purely products of the environment (whether personally or through evolution) without justifying it very well. Paradoxically, he admits that the science of human behavior is poorly developed compared to, say, biology and physics, and in fact hasn't progressed much since Aristotle. He is oblivious to this contradiction. On the one hand, he wants it to be certain and unquestioned that a human can be completely explained by his science. On the other, his science is underdeveloped (because people have not accepted that it is true yet). He seems to think that behaviorist science does not need any sophistication or development in order for it's most weighty premise--that humans have no autonomy--to be an accepted fact. Skinner puts the cart before the horse.

The second criticism is that Skinner never really gets down to any even slightly useful details on what his Utopia will look like. His excuse is, again, that behaviorist science is still not developed enough, I guess. But it seems like someone who says, "We must change our culture so that it has the best possible effect on our lives" isn't really saying anything profound. In other words, his dramatic plan for the human race reduces to nothing more than saying, "Let's do things better." In a book of 200 pages, Skinner really doesn't give much information at all. It's worth mentioning that after every chapter he gives a short one-paragraph summary of the ideas in that chapter. He could have simply published those summaries and retained about 90% of the real content of his book.

Thirdly, Skinner is oblivious to the inherent contradictions in his position. If man is just a product of his environment, with no real autonomy, no inherent ability to act in and of himself, then how can we even "plan" anything for the future? If a superior culture does develop, it cannot be considered anything but a happy accident. It can't even be considered "happy," since that term implies some inner agent who is happy. I guess we would just say, "It would be favorable for the participants."

There is something just simply idiotic in saying, "We should design a better culture, because none of us have free will and are just products of our culture." I suppose Skinner only wrote his book due to the stimulus of his environment and thus can't be blamed for the inconsistency... But the point I'm making is that in order to act for positive change, you have to feel like you have some autonomous capacity to change things.

All in all, the book is rather dated. The idea of man as simply a machine that converts stimulus to response, with emotions and thoughts (if they exist at all) as mere side effects is absurd to anyone who does a little introspection instead of, say, studying figures on how incomes and education relate to robbery convictions. And the doomsday scenarios that motivate the work are much less compelling (to reasonable people, at least) than they used to be. I don't recommend this book unless you have some scholarly need to read it. On final reflection, it appears to me as simply an attempt by Skinner to profit off the anxieties of his times rather than an earnest attempt at offering useful knowledge to mankind.

Critique.......2006-05-30

I will admit, I was somewhat skeptical when I began reading Skinner's Beyond Freedom and Dignity. I expected Skinner's writing to be adamant and presumptuous in dealing with human nature as a stimulus-response reaction. Skinner's ideas and views, however, are highly credible and not as "radical" as one would think those of a radical behaviorist might be. I have condensed Skinner's book into a brief synopsis and personal reaction of five sections: technology of behavior, freedom and dignity, punishment and alternatives, evolution and design of culture, and the idea of man.

Skinner begins this book with an overview of behavioral technology. He points out that the physical and biological sciences have solved any problems facing human nature though the utilization of technology. A similar type technology should be applied to behavior though a scientific analysis as opposed to abstract concepts such as states of mind and feelings. At this point, Skinner transits the responsibility from autonomous man to the environment.

One would assume that the goal of any first chapter in a book would be to grasp the reader's attention. This is exactly what this does. I am reminded of Hippocratic doctrine of the four humors when Skinner discusses early biological science. He compares the early physical and biological sciences to modern behavioral science. I am also intrigued, because Skinner begins to discuss potential ways to use behavioral technology to create a utopian society.

The next sections deal with freedom and dignity. Skinner states that the literature on freedom has made the mistake of defining freedom in terms of states of mind or feelings. Skinner defines the struggle for freedom as the avoidance of or escape from aversive features of the environment. Skinner also states that people commonly recognize the concept of dignity as a person's worth when deserving credit for actions. However, when people are the products of their environments, dignity should not be a concern, because ultimately, people are not autonomous.

Again, I found there to be much validity in Skinner's writings. What is interesting is that there are schools of thought built entirely around the concept of freedom (e.g., existentialism), stressing its importance. Skinner claims that no creatures possess free will; this is very bold statement. I also found his views of dignity interesting. He claims that more dignity is given to individuals when the causes of their achievements are less conspicuous. In retrospective, I find this to be mostly true.

Skinner then begins to discuss punishment and alternatives to punishment. He points out that the most commonly used technique for constructing, or manipulating, human behavior is negative reinforcement and punishment. According to Skinner, these punitive techniques can be maladaptive. He then explains that nonpunitive contingencies (e.g., positive reinforcement) are commendable alternatives to negative reinforcement and punishment.

I agree with Skinner's claim that nonpunitive contingencies are not commonly used to mold behavior, because this would somehow be viewed by society as manipulative, which subsequently, would reduce freedom. In turn, punishment is not viewed as "controlling;" people still have the option to choose. He gave much evidence to support this, and these comments, in my opinion, are true. However, I did not particularly like the way that Skinner made the assertion that positive reinforcement could be used to better society. I did not like this, because he said nothing to back up this claim. An entire chapter of this book was devoted to potential alternatives to punishment but never was an alternative created other than the broad category of positive reinforcement. In addition, I do not agree with Skinner's belief that those who defend the literature of freedom and dignity are those who attempt to control, or manipulate, people. I am not even sure why this was stated, and again, there is no evidence to support this statement in his book.

Skinner then focuses on the evolution and design of a culture. He compares the evolution of a culture to the evolution of a species. Basically, both culture and species propagate those traits which lead to better or longer survival. In his design of a culture, he basically applies most of the previous concepts. He states that in his design, different cultures would be separated geographically with no form of authoritarian government and people would be very frugal and economic (i.e., they would produce only what was needed and would only consume small, practical potions of the natural resources).

I particularly enjoyed Skinner's application of evolution to culture. I found his design of a culture to be interesting but not particularly impressive. It is too simplistic, much like the utopian designs that Skinner initially criticizes. I do agree with Skinner's belief that a science of behavior could and should be exercised in creating a culture.

Skinner then focuses the last portion of his book on a question: what is man? He explains that the role of environment does not abolish man. It abolishes the autonomous, inner man. He claims that this understanding is would lead to scientific progress. He also states that man is not a passive product of the environment, because the environment is ultimately of man's own making.

This last section is basically a redundancy of previous concepts. It did serve, however, as an effective closing for his arguments. One thing I might point out is that I did not particularly care for his statement that man is controlled by his/her environment and, at the same time, man is responsible for his/her environment. This seems to me like a very circular explanation (i.e., a is the cause of b, and b is the cause of a) that was just inserted to please some of the more anti-behaviorist readers.

Overall, Skinner's Beyond Freedom and Dignity is a very persuasive book with some very innovative concepts. I can reluctantly, but honestly, admit that I cannot entirely refute any off his proclamations. Skinner does not deny the role of nature or of cognitive processes in his assumptions, which is something that I did not come to expect in reading this book. I have, however, pointed out a few slight weaknesses in his arguments. After finishing this book, I am fully aware as to why this book is deemed a classic in the scientific community.

The control freak's bible! .......2005-06-30

I have given Skinner's book I star, because it was required to write a review. I consider its ideas dangerous - for the simple reason that it represents a frontal assault upon our ideas of freedom and human dignity.

　Of course, Skinner doesn't see anything 'sinister' in his ideas. He simply takes it for granted that our notion that we have 'interior selves' and are autonomous (i.e. free agents) - is largely an illusion. In short, Skinner's argument (and it just that, not a statement of fact, as he would have us believe) - is that we are wholly determined in our lives by environmental factors, which is to say - 'conditioned' by forces outside ourselves.

Skinner's argument, then, is that we might as well accept this and make the most of it. Rather than resisting the idea of conditioning, he thinks we should perfect it. In short, if there is nothing more than external conditioning and learned behaviour, then we might as well have social scientists maximising our potential to live with the learned behaviour.

The fallacy of Skinner's argument, is that the notion of human freedom and dignity rests upon scientifically 'unprovable' or 'unverifiable' assertions. When we look, we cannot find a 'ghost in the machine' - and thus, we might as well accept the machine. But it is a facile argument. The fact that we cannot reduce our interior selves to a scientifically quantifiable formula, is the very reason why it remains of vital importance to human life. Its resistence to reductive, strictly empirical formulas, is what makes human nature special. Nobody sensible would deny that childhood experience is highly formative, or that certain genetic determinants are at work, or that empirically speaking, we are conditioned in our external lives. But we have no reason to suppose that these factors are ALL determining.

Needless to say, Skinner's thinking was informed by wholly secular ideas of social and scientific progress - much as if we could get behind everything and 'push.' Paradoxically, Skinner never gave that much thought to who controls the controllers! Skinner wasn't thinking of anything like Soviet style dialectical materialism - but, if we wanted a graphic example of how things go painfully wrong by regimenting human nature and trying to educate people out of the idea that they have 'interior selves' - well, the failures of the Soviet Union (or Communist China) tell us all we need to know.

I don't say this with any illusions that captalism and 'free markets' per se, are intrinsically more respectful of human freedom and dignity. Those values hinge upon something deeper, and without that, there is little to prevent a 'market oriented' society drifting into social controls and abuses of human nature, no less than those which drove the Soviet system.

Ironically, some reviewers have adduced Buddhist teachings(i.e. the doctrine of anatman = no-self) as further confirmation of Skinner's ideas. But Buddhism only denies that there is a permanent self in the skandhas or aggregates - a materialistic self. In fact, the Buddha taught people to take refuge in the 'self' and the Dharma as an inner lamp. Buddhists do have 'interior' lives. Moreover, the Buddha accorded 'dignity' to human nature, or manusya- as the 'most noble of two footed beings.'

It is not anyone else's business to define what we are - in any final or absolute sense. Those who would endeavour to do so are of the same mind as those who would patent the human genome,and plan on engineering an improved version of the human race in their laboratories. The chances are that those who would play 'God' will end up doing the devil (or Mara's) work. As the Rolling Stones song said: - "Hey - you! Get offa maa cloud! "

Provocative philosophy from an American behavorist.......2005-03-16

B.F. Skinner was the leading experimental psychologist in the United States for a large portion of his career, and his reputation within the field is still formidable. Unlike most scientists, Skinner also chose to write books for a popular audience. And, unlike most so-called "popular scientists" like Carl Sagan or Stephen Jay Gould, Skinner cared more that the layman understood the philosophy behind science, rather than how that particular science worked.

"Beyond Freedom and Dignity" is Skinner's most successful - and controversial work. Skinner's brand of psychology is called Behaviorism for a very good reason - it deals only with objective, measurable behaviors and does not speculate about motivations, drives, dreams, etc. Skinner argues that applied Behaviorism has the potential to solve many seemingly unsolvable problems, such as overpopulation, crime, pollution, and the like. To Skinner, our very concepts of Freedom and Dignity are hindrances because they are abstract ideals that cannot be measured or quantified. It is only when we care about behavior that we have a chance of understanding why human beings do the things that we do and have the potential to truly change society.

I strongly recommend this book, although I do not agree with much of Skinner's philosophy. Skinner wrote clearly, cleanly, and directly. Anyone with a high school diploma or GED could read and understand this book, and engage in a dialogue with Skinner's ideas. I've used chapters of this book in a course in the History of Psychology that I teach, and it never fails to engage people, challenge them, and spur them on to debate. To me, this is what a great book should do. Whether you glorify or villify B.F. Skinner, his ideas are worth grappling with.

I would try a copy at my local library first and then purchase this book if you wish to reread it.

Toward Knowledge and Usefulness.......2004-03-10

This is a great book. It argues that:

1) the human race faces great and urgent problems, such as overpopulation and habitat destruction.

2) we don't behave all that well: we're having difficulty addressing the urgent problems.

3) a scientific approach may be able to help.

4) indeed, a "technology of behavior" is being developed and shows promise. This includes Skinner's experimental findings and conclusions, for example, the role of operant conditioning and the limitations of punishment.

5) Using this emerging technology of behavior, individuals can manage themselves better (as Skinner demonstrated with himself). As a race, we should also be able to use this technology to manage ourselves collectively better.

6) We are being managed (i.e. controlled) anyway, often by forces we either aren't aware of or don't grasp the impact of.

7) If we took control of this technology of behavior, applying it as it is and developing it further, we might be able to save ourselves from the urgent problems that confront us.

8) A key obstacle to the application and further development of this technology is our belief that we are somehow ultimately free of external causes. We believe in free will (freedom or autonomy) and consequently we take credit ( feel dignity) for things we really don't have much or any control over.

9) If we look at the explanations we offer on the basis of our freedom and dignity, we may see that they cover up huge areas of ignorance we have as to why we behave as we do. And if we look at our behavior, we see that we don't control it as much as we think we can (consider the problem people have with obesity or addiction) and we take credit for things we aren't responsible for (including what now appear to be genetic endowments).

10) By attributing things to our "free will", we tend to ignore the real events that influence us, and by so doing we fail to learn from them.

11) If we worked together to look at what really is influencing us and at how we do and can influence others, we might be able to shift ourselves toward being more altruistic and more effective, i.e. we might be able to overcome the big problems that we are currently creating.

Better ways of managing ourselves may mean better ways to manipulate others, but it may also mean that people will be better informed so as to counter manipulations and join, where appropriate, in managing themselves better. At least with an open, scientific process, we have a chance of learning and improving the process ourselves, instead of floundering into disasters due to half-baked concepts about ourselves.

Book Description

This fictional outline of a modern utopia has been a center of controversy ever since its publication in 1948. Set in the United States, it pictures a society in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human conduct.

Customer Reviews:

A solution looking for a problem.......2007-07-24

Like Copernicus, Galeleo and Darwin, Skinner was verbaly crucified for what he discovered. Those who dismiss this book are the flat earth theorists and religious dogmatic right.

It was not Skinner's first choice to be a social scientist. He openly admitted that his discoveries were just that - Discoveries. At first most scientists have little idea of what thier discoveries mean. The lazer was first described as 'a solution looking for a problem' - its first imagined use to cut James Bond in half. Who would have dreamt that lazers would be used for delicate eye surgery to give people clear sight. In Walden II Skinner set about thinking what his discoveries could mean for individuals and societies.

The two principle characters of Walden II are Frederick and Burrhus. These are Skinner's two christian names. Walden II is an arguement that Skinner had with himself. Both sides robustly stated, it reveals both the confidence and doubts that Skinner had about the meaning and value of his discoveries.

Individuals and society always benefit from advances in science. The scientists who split the atom did not intend its use to be destructive and many campaigned against the atomic bomb. Skinner realised that the lottery is very effective way for governments to extract excessive tax from the poor. It must have been one of his worst nightmares that governments would do so. He must be turning in his grave at present British government's use of the lottery to pay for education. Skinner was a teacher and devoted part of his life to improving teaching.

Walden II was never a 'blue-print for living'. Taken as such it is inevitable inadequate, as discovered by those who have tried to 'live the experiment'. Written in 1948, it is now dated. Regretably no-one has since updated it, maybe because the reality is that we all live in a token economy.

Skinner's first career choice was to be a writer. He wasn't a very good one, but in Walden II he is surprisingly good for an academic. A radical thinker, it should be no surprise that Skinner should borrow the title of one of his literary heroes - Thoreau. Only a few have lived that utopia of the original Walden.

The world is not flat, man evolved and real social science can help us improve life and society. Ignorance is a prison without bars. It was centuries before Galeleo showed that Copernicus was right. A century has passed since Darwin's death. Many still do not want to accept evoluiton and many of those who do simply do not understand it, despite calling themselves Darwinians. It will be some time before society understands behavioural science, its full benefits and just how great a scientist Skinner was.

Read 'Ishmael' First.......2007-06-08

If you are interested in how people can be happy, read Daniel Quinn's 'Ishmael' first, then come back to 'Walden Two.'

I am not a behaviorist. The term 'social engineering' makes me uncomfortable. I do not believe in the concept of Utopia. There is no One Right Way to live, no solution that will bring about the End of History. Humans are what they are, and the sooner we quit trying to mold people into what we think they should be and accept that fact, the happier we will all be.

So why do I rate Walden Two highly? Because of it's pragmatism.

The basic approach put forth in the book is simply to do what works. Experiment. Try something. If it works, keep it. If it doesn't, discard it and try something new. This approach seems obvious, but in fact it's pretty rare in our daily lives. Instead we are ruled by dogmatism: we do things because that is the 'right' way to do it, no matter how poor the outcome.

This pragmatic approach, and the examples used to illustrate it, hint at methodologies currently being used with much success. Two that interest me the most are NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and Permaculture.

Skinner at his best.......2007-04-15

The book "Walden Two" by B.F.Skinner is excellent. It is written in a story form so most of us will not get lost with the psychology jargon, and the story is very interesting and moves right along.For those of you not familiar with his work Skinner explains what behavioral engineering is and his main charcter uses this as his platfrom for a utopic society. I liked many things about Waldon Two how the residents created a more scientifically efficent community and I thought th behavioral engineering of the children in the community was billiant. I also really enjoyed the idea of the four hour work day and how it promotes a more creative group of people. Naturally this type of work week would enable its residents to become much more creative and spend more time with the arts. I didn't enjoy every part of Walden Two I felt the economic structure was very similar to communism. I understand how it relates to how the society is to succeed. Overall the book is very enjoyable and it was very helpful in learning more about behavioral engineering I would reccomend it and its not a very long read either its about 280 pages.

Interesting.......2006-06-02

Before we talk about the book, Walden 2, you need to know something about B.F. Skinner. He was a behavioral psychologist and behavior psychologists like to be able to predict and to control human activity. He believed in his theories so much that when he brought home his 2nd daughter from the hospital he placed her in an controlled environment much like the one in the book. His daughter lived there for 2 1/2 years. Skinner became famous for his work with rats using his "Skinner Box". The Skinner Box was an apparatus which allows an experimenter to observe, manipulate, measure and record animals behaviors. Skinner also insisted that their environments, the environments which humans themselves built, controlled humans. Skinner's main aim in analyzing behavior was to find out the relationship between behavior and the environment, the interactions between the two. Walden 2 is a book about how he imagined the application of is theories would work out in real life.
Walden 2 is a very good book but is arguably the worst story ever. Besides being amateurish, it's downright silly. But luckily the story is not a big part of the book. infact, Walden 2 transcends its mediocre story by being so provocative. Through the course of Walden 2, so many interesting ideas are brought up. It took me forever to finish the book because every couple of pages, I'd have to stop and think about whatever I was reading. This book brings up many extreme alternatives to modern life that are for the most part, surprisingly logical. Between child rearing and distribution of labor, you will have your jaw open. He talks about having the youth produce children and then putting the children through a system involving not moving out of the crib until a baby turns one and not putting on clothes till the age of three. This may seem like a very stupid idea and that's the reaction that you should have but there are many benefits to it. Clothes can be uncomfortable and temperature sun exposure isn't problem because they don't go outside. It also decides how much a job pays based on the demand for that job. A job like sniffing flowers would not be high paying because everyone wants that job. Some may say well isn't that how capitalism works but its not even close. We know this isn't true because actors are getting paid much more then farmers. Everyone wants to be an actor and yet it still has a large paycheck, I rest my case. This book is so progressive and so ahead of it's time. It brings up many ideas that no one else has and B. F. Skinner did it in 1948. On the contrary, the concepts B. F. Skinner presents are flawed. The whole book requires that our nature is very, very malleable. Whether or not that is true is debatable. One of the flaws of the book is that the reader isn't the one who gets to question Frazier (the guy running Walden 2). B. F. Skinner gets to question Frazier and that makes the whole book very biased. If the guy who feels a certain way writes a book proving his point and the book happens to be fiction, then there is a very high chance that the person is wrong and needs to make a fake bias story to prove his point. But like I said earlier, lots of good ideas too. Either way I enjoyed the book and I would advise any person interested in philosophy, different forms of society, or just progressive ideas, to read this book.
The book also comes with an interesting preface written by Skinner many years after he wrote Walden 2. He talks about how common society is horrible and how we should convert the world into a humongous Walden 2. Quite a stretch if I may say so myself. This is because he forgets to mention the thing that Karl Marx always talked about, the between stage. Marx talks about Socialism and the violent revolution and how to reach Communism, while Walden 2 is just supposed to happen. The book isn't intended to have the same purpose as the Communist Manifesto or anything of that sort. The book as a whole shouldn't be looked upon as a good idea for a society; it should be viewed as a group of different ideas about different things that can be placed relevantly into our modern society.

A totalitarian "Utopia"?.......2006-01-15

Having no great fondness for B. F. to begin with, from the little I know of him and his work, I thought I'd give this a try just to see what the Grand Old Man of conditioned rats and pigeons had to say about Utopias. What kind of Utopia would be imagined by some guy who saw no essential behavioral difference (and presumably no other important difference) between rats and humans? As I had expected, I had a distinctly uneasy feeling about it well before finishing it-by about p. 60, in fact-but I couldn't clearly define or articulate it. So, like anyone looking for easy answers, I Googled the book, and the first citation on the page was "A critical review of B.F. Skinner's philosophy, with focus on _Walden Two_", by Edward Rozycki (1999, based on a 1995 article for the journal _Educational Studies_). And Rozycki made amply clear a few points which seem to have escaped all the raving enthusiasts of the book, such as:

(1) Skinner was a lousy scientist, who explicitly rejected some of the fundamental tenets of the scientific method, such as considering all the observed data. In the book, Frazier says, "To go to all the trouble of running controls would be to make a fetish of scientific method." Although Skinner kept telling everyone he was an empiricist and not a theorist, most of his work is basically theory based on what he chose to consider the world to be.

(2) His "vision" is fundamentally totalitarian (Roz tactfully avoids the term "fascist," but I would not be that polite). As Frazier says, "Each of us has interests which conflict with the interests of everybody else. ... Now, `everybody else' we call `society.' It's a powerful opponent and it always wins." Substitute "State" for "society" and that's pretty clear totalitarianism.

(3) The reason everybody in the community is so blissfully happy is that anyone who is not blissfully happy is made to feel unwelcome by the community and subtly cold-shouldered out. About anyone who is "incorrigible," Frazier says that "it's more likely that he would long since have gone of his own accord." As Rosycki dryly notes, "The point is not elaborated on." I don't think it needs to be.

So, given my impression that Skinner's starry-eyed Utopian vision of a "culturally engineered" bliss of humanoid pigeons is one of the most terrifying things I've read since the daily news, I fail to see why everyone seems to think it's so wonderful. I think it's a dreadful vision, just as dystopic, in its sinister way, as _Brave New World_. And it's a boring read to boot.

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Matter of Consequences
B.F. Skinner
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394532260
Release Date: 1983-09-12

Average customer rating:

The Psychology of B F Skinner
William T. O'Donohue , and Kyle E. Ferguson
Manufacturer: Sage Publications, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0761917594
Release Date: 2001-03-15

Book Description

"O’Donohue and Ferguson provide an exceptionally clear picture of the breadth, scientific importance, and value to society of the work of the late B.F. Skinner. They include reasons that his work has been criticized and misunderstood. A substantial index, an attractive cover and typeface, and a readable style are bonuses to this exceptionally well-researched, accurate, and fair description of Skinner’s work. All collections."

— CHOICE

In The Psychology of B. F. Skinner, William T. O’Donohue and Kyle E. Ferguson not only introduce the life of one of the most influential psychologist of the past century but also put that life into historical and philosophical context. In so doing, they illuminate Skinner’s contributions to psychology, his philosophy of science, his experimental research program, and the behavioral principles and applied aspects that emerged from it. They also rebut criticism of Skinner’s work, including radical behaviorism, and discuss key developments others have derived from it.

Behaviorists, or more precisely Skinnerians, commonly consider Skinner’s work to have been misrepresented, misunderstood, and, to some extent, even defamed. The authors take great care in accurately representing both the strengths and the weaknesses of his positions. They also attempt to correct misinterpretations of his work. Finally, they guide students through Skinner’s theories and demonstrate their applications and usefulness via extensive examples and illustrations.

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Skinner: The Humanist Behind The Behaviorist
The Biography Box
Insight to Skinner

B.F. Skinner: A Life
Daniel W. Bjork
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0465006116

Customer Reviews:

Skinner: The Humanist Behind The Behaviorist.......2007-08-24

The how's, why's, when's, and where's of a forged life are depicted beautifully in the biography of a scholar and scientist that dared question our penchant to attribute our so-called "success" to our will and dignity. Skinner is portrayed as a human being who readily recognized that his success was indeed accidental. Skinner is real, geniune, and too much for the ordinary mind to handle.

The Biography Box.......2004-02-18

This is the best biography I've read. I certainly find Skinner interesting, but what's impressive is how well this book flows, and I expect that's due to Bjork's writing skills and understanding of Skinner.

I came to this book because I don't know much about Skinner. I can't vouch for its accuracy or slant but it seems very professional, with plenty of references. I feel lucky to have started here. I've been reading other books on Skinner and Radical Behaviorism and appreciate the background Bjork has given me. There's a smooth mix of detail and overview.

Although there's plenty of material to help to understand Skinner the scientist and philosopher, there is also a good amount for feeling one has learned about Skinner the man, a dutiful husband, warm father, and, despite some isolation that his advanced thinking brought him, a decent friend. Seeing this side of Skinner provides good reason not to jump at labelling him a reductionist. I also learned to admire his faithfulness, despite popular opposition, to pushing forward to scientifically study how conditioning impacts us (and how we use and can better use conditioning to our own advantage).

While I'll be reading Skinner, I'd also like to read more of Bjork. If I were a famous thinker, Bjork is someone I'd like to have write my biography.

Insight to Skinner.......2002-01-15

This is a good primer of Skinner's life. It provides clarification regarding the origin of Skinner's ideas and charts the course of his personal and intellectual development through his career.

Average customer rating:

A fascinating book potentially useful for everyone
A wonderful finishing touch to B. F. Skinner's career

Enjoy Old Age: A Practical Guide
B. F. Skinner , and M. E. Vaughan
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393316513

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating book potentially useful for everyone.......2000-08-16

Whatever you think of behaviorism, or Skinner's other works, this book is an admirable effort, and his approach to old age can be profitably adapted by those of any age. Skinner takes a clear-eyed look at how to alter one's environment -- one's home, one's habits, developed over a lifetime but often suboptimal for the person one has become -- to minimize inconveniences and maximize enjoyment.

I first read this book in my early 20s, and I was profoundly struck by Skinner's pragmatic assessment of his circumstances and his focus on making positive steps to improve his life.

[Incidentally, I shared an elevator ride with Skinner around the time this book came out (before I had read it) -- we didn't talk, but he scowled at me.]

A wonderful finishing touch to B. F. Skinner's career.......1997-08-24

When he was almost 80 years old Skinner, the creator of behaviourism, decided to share with us his wisdom about old age. This is a very useful book for people approaching old age, or for those who have to deal with old people.

Three Psychologies: Perspectives from Freud, Skinner, and Rogers

Average customer rating:

:]
Very helpful! Psychology for the layperson

Three Psychologies: Perspectives from Freud, Skinner, and Rogers
Robert D. Nye
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 053436845X

Book Description

Robert D. Nye's THREE PSYCHOLOGIES clearly and succinctly presents the essential ideas of Freud, Skinner, and Rogers, three of the most important contributors to contemporary psychological thought. A brief introductory chapter gives an overview of each perspective and points out some basic differences among the theories. Chapters Two, Three, and Four discuss the basic ideas of the three psychologists, including practical examples, real-world applications, and commentaries. Chapter Five compares the theories on specific topics, also offering critical evaluations, and Nye's personal comments. An Epilogue includes concise information about cognitive psychology and Albert Ellis's rational-emotive behavior therapy, so that readers can compare these currently popular approaches with those of Freud, Skinner, and Rogers.

Customer Reviews:

:].......2005-09-10

ya, this bOok was EXPENSIVE.. i had to pay like $40, but if youre interested in this pshycology stuff, its really helpful. straight forward and yaa.. BUY IT USED THO cus i only needed to read it once, and its pretty THIN and not THAT worth it.. but overall.. good:]

Very helpful! Psychology for the layperson.......1998-10-03

This was a succinct overview of the way three psychologists interpret human personality and behavior. Freud, Skinner, and Rogers are all leaders and representatives of schools of thought in psychology, and this book took the mystery away.

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