B.F. Skinner's Walden 2 [Paperback]

B. F. Skinner (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 71 pages
• Publisher: Monarch Notes (April 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671009737
• ISBN-13: 978-0671009731
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,144,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very different perspective from 'Walden' but interesting, August 8, 2000

By 

Xavier de la Foret (Twisp, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: B.F. Skinner's Walden 2 (Paperback)

For those of you who do not know Skinner, he was one of the most famous behaviorists in the history of psychology. Behaviorists believed that human behavior is totally controlled by the environment and that our social problems therefore come from "wrong" reinforcement contingencies between our behaviors and the feedback we get from our environment. Thus, Skinner wrote this novel to show how it was possible to build a good community if it was based on the "right" contingencies of reinforcement. This book shows how people can cooperate and have fulfilling lives by simply working a few hours a day to keep the community functioning, and then spend time on what they really enjoy doing. Skinner also discusses very important issues. Behaviorists believe that different individuals are interested in different things and also learn at different paces. Thus, children need to be in an environment where they can master their interests at their own pace, with a lot of personal attention yielding to more and more independence with age. Skinner then illustrates what such education would be like, with small laboratories being set for children to experience many things and thus learn by seeing the meaningfulness of what they are taught. In short, Skinner tries to recreate the workings of natural selection with behavioral engineering methods. The argument is that human beings have stopped experimenting with what works and what does not work. Our civilization has settled down in its own ways, and now tries to fix its problems from the inside, blinded by the false belief that civilization was the best thing ever made. Skinner argues that there are better ways to live, and that to find them we need to experiment with different things and find what works for everyone of us. Although you might find a few of its chapters plain silly, or even scary because of the "engineering" of behavior, this book is a great read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Things you must understand about this book, October 27, 2001

By 

M. Harker (Kalamazoo, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: B.F. Skinner's Walden 2 (Paperback)

Do not compare this with Walden. Dont read it just because you
liked Walden.
This book is told in a narative fashion, and rather personally
by Skinner. He examines (critically) a new community created by an old friend. It is an experimental way of living, and may
be shocking to people unfamiliar with Behavior Analysis. It is not a lesson or text-book, however. It is an interesting tale
filled with observations and advice that are suprisingly relevant today. Sometimes frightening, but ultimately eye opening for anyone interested in society, education, or culture.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but not without faults., December 28, 2001

By 

Linn Gubala (Bellevue, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: B.F. Skinner's Walden 2 (Paperback)

I liked the idea of working only four hours a day instead of the usual eight. Half of a person's efforts go toward supporting a BOSS or BOSSES nowadays in our society. I did not like the stupid idea of rinsing the trays after lunch with skim milk that then flowed out to feed the hogs, as I have learned from raising pigs myself - they would be satisfied with the water runoff. Plus it would easily collect some nasty viruses. However, I can relate to the main message because I try not to waste anything. Then the part about babies not wearing clothes and not needing diapers, yet forced into seclusion in a padded vinyl room was very stupid. At least they would have the problems of bedsores and rashes that could leave life-long scars. Overall though this book was interesting and can be compared with 1984, We, and Brave New World (rather than Walden).