Walden Two Research Paper
Social Sciences Directory
Vol. 2, No. 4, 2-8, October 2013 th Proceedings of the 11 conference of the International Communal Studies Association
Revisiting Walden Two: sustainability from a natural science perspective
Deborah Altus *
Washburn University, USA 1
Video of conference presentation: Not available
Abstract
In his 1948 novel, Walden Two, B F Skinner proposed using principles and methods of natural science as a means to design a healthy society that was not only satisfying and meaningful to its residents but also socially and environmentally sustainable. A number of intentional communities were inspired by Skinner’s ideas, perhaps the most well-known of which is Twin Oaks, located near Louisa, Viginia, USA. Few Walden Two-inspired …show more content…
This paper will review the results of research conducted by the experimental living project at Sunflower
House to see what lessons can be gleaned about designing sustainable social systems.
B. F. Skinner was one of the most eminent psychologists, if not one of the most eminent th scientists, of the 20 century (Haggbloom, et al., 2002; Rutherford, 2009). Through his laboratory research, he established a science of behavior – the experimental analysis of behavior – and its corresponding philosophy, radical behaviorism (see Morris, Smith & Altus,
2005), although he was perhaps best known for, and also vilified for, his popular writings, including Walden Two (1948) and Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971).
Skinner originally wrote his utopian novel, Walden Two, in 1945, as The Sun is But a Morning
Star – the title taken from the conclusion of Thoreau’s Walden (1854). In his 1979 autobiography, he indicated that the inspiration for writing the book came from a dinner party where he discussed what soldiers would do when they returned home from serving …show more content…
Renwick, V. (2009). Kathleen Kinkade. The Behavior Analyst, 32, 337
Rutherford, A. (2009). Beyond the box: B. F. Skinner’s technology of behavior from laboratory to life. Toronto:
University of Toronto press.
Skinner, B. F. (1938). The Behavior of Organisms. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Skinner, B. F. (1948). Walden Two. New York: Macmillan.
Skinner, B. F. (1971). Beyond freedom and dignity. New York: Knopf.
Skinner, B. F. (1973c). Walden (one) and Walden two. The Thoreau Society Bulletin, 122, 1–3.
Skinner, B. F. (1976). Preface. Walden two (pp. v–xvi). New York: Macmillan.
Skinner, B. F. (1979). The shaping of a behaviorist. New York: Knopf.
Thoreau, H. D. (1854). Walden. Boston, MA: Ticknor and Fields.
Welsh, T. M., Johnson, S. P., Miller, L. K., Merrill, M. H., & Altus, D. E. (1989). A practical procedure for training meeting chairpersons. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 10, 151-166.
Welsh, T. M., Miller, L. K., & Altus, D. E. (1994). Programming for survival: A meeting system surviving 8 years later.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27, 423-433.
Wolf, M. M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis
Vol. 2, No. 4, 2-8, October 2013 th Proceedings of the 11 conference of the International Communal Studies Association
Revisiting Walden Two: sustainability from a natural science perspective
Deborah Altus *
Washburn University, USA 1
Video of conference presentation: Not available
Abstract
In his 1948 novel, Walden Two, B F Skinner proposed using principles and methods of natural science as a means to design a healthy society that was not only satisfying and meaningful to its residents but also socially and environmentally sustainable. A number of intentional communities were inspired by Skinner’s ideas, perhaps the most well-known of which is Twin Oaks, located near Louisa, Viginia, USA. Few Walden Two-inspired …show more content…
This paper will review the results of research conducted by the experimental living project at Sunflower
House to see what lessons can be gleaned about designing sustainable social systems.
B. F. Skinner was one of the most eminent psychologists, if not one of the most eminent th scientists, of the 20 century (Haggbloom, et al., 2002; Rutherford, 2009). Through his laboratory research, he established a science of behavior – the experimental analysis of behavior – and its corresponding philosophy, radical behaviorism (see Morris, Smith & Altus,
2005), although he was perhaps best known for, and also vilified for, his popular writings, including Walden Two (1948) and Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971).
Skinner originally wrote his utopian novel, Walden Two, in 1945, as The Sun is But a Morning
Star – the title taken from the conclusion of Thoreau’s Walden (1854). In his 1979 autobiography, he indicated that the inspiration for writing the book came from a dinner party where he discussed what soldiers would do when they returned home from serving …show more content…
Renwick, V. (2009). Kathleen Kinkade. The Behavior Analyst, 32, 337
Rutherford, A. (2009). Beyond the box: B. F. Skinner’s technology of behavior from laboratory to life. Toronto:
University of Toronto press.
Skinner, B. F. (1938). The Behavior of Organisms. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Skinner, B. F. (1948). Walden Two. New York: Macmillan.
Skinner, B. F. (1971). Beyond freedom and dignity. New York: Knopf.
Skinner, B. F. (1973c). Walden (one) and Walden two. The Thoreau Society Bulletin, 122, 1–3.
Skinner, B. F. (1976). Preface. Walden two (pp. v–xvi). New York: Macmillan.
Skinner, B. F. (1979). The shaping of a behaviorist. New York: Knopf.
Thoreau, H. D. (1854). Walden. Boston, MA: Ticknor and Fields.
Welsh, T. M., Johnson, S. P., Miller, L. K., Merrill, M. H., & Altus, D. E. (1989). A practical procedure for training meeting chairpersons. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 10, 151-166.
Welsh, T. M., Miller, L. K., & Altus, D. E. (1994). Programming for survival: A meeting system surviving 8 years later.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27, 423-433.
Wolf, M. M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis