SKINNERS WALDEN TWO OF TODAY

 

     It is now widely recognized that great changes must be made in the American way of life. Not only can we not face the rest of the world while consuming and polluting as we do, we cannot for long face ourselves while acknowledging the violence and chaos in which we live. The choice is clear: either we do nothing and allow a miserable and probably catastrophic future to overtake us, or we use our knowledge about human behavior to create a social environment in which we shall live productive and creative lives and do so without jeopardizing the chances that those who follow us will be able to do the same. Something like a Walden Two would not be a bad start.

 

Skinners Walden Two

     Walden Two (1948) is a novel by B.F. Skinner that describes a utopia in which a thousand people have obtained a good life modeled after Thoreau's experiment in living near Walden pond. 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. With environmental and social problems becoming serious issues in today’s society, the search for solutions is evident. B.F. Skinner's book presents a fictional outline of a modern utopia in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human conduct. This book serves as a possible example of how our knowledge of human behavior can be used to create a productive social environment while preserving the chances of future generations to do the same.

     It is not a monument to fine novel writing and was not intended to be, yet it is fascinating and eye opening as a fictional dissertation on utopian social structure can be. Huxley's “Island”, on the other hand was beautifully written and requires no awareness of the psychology of social construction going on at the same time- neither book does, really. They are both interesting and thought provoking.

     Skinner's basic premise was that with gentle behavioral modifications using positive re-enforcement and academics, coupled with leveling the social playing field with no class structure our hyper-competitive, private enterprise, we could then concentrate all of our energies on education and entertainment, thereby removing most all of the ills and stress that conventional society suffers from sounds enticing, on paper anyway.

     B.F. Skinner was a famous research psychologist who had a life time of noted insights into the human psyche and his constant experimentation with behavioral studies led him to map out, in a fictional utopian setting, a demonstration of what the supposed benefits of behavioral modification would do for a large group of people. He was not trying to be a novelist, rather he was submitting to a broader audience than his peers, a theoretic utopian society that the general public could assess on their own and no doubt, Skinner was probably keen to see how the public would respond further studies of human response to mechanisms his favorite occupation.

     His very clinical approach to human behavioral studies was often criticized, but he was always quick to point out that he had no interest in debate on his methods. The following two paragraphs are borrowed from Skinner's bio seen at the Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio website Skinner pages. Material was compiled by Christa Swenson, 1999.

     Skinner was never highly influenced by critical reactions, he is not interested in the right or wrong because they are either effective or ineffective, and arguments of no avail. For that reason he is not interested in psychological theories, rational equations, or other verbal systems that are required to be proven right.

     Skinners said childbearing is the duty or privilege of woman; it seems not to matter much to Frazier whether it is a duty or privilege. It suspects that it's hardest to convince women of the advantages of community life (B. F. Skinner, 2005). Women, like exploited workers stand the most to gain and are always hardest to convince because of a system of beliefs implanted within their skins. “It's sometimes almost a hopeless task to take the shackles off their souls, but it can be done.

     Today Children should be raised communally and are taught self-control techniques to handle jealousy, impatience and promote positive approaches to problems. Adult members, we are told, are also taught these techniques, which are supplemented with a community psychologist. Also there is the use of things like pamphlets which are refreshers in these techniques. In the novel Frazier mentions that he used such a pamphlet to help him with jealousy.  Today child rearing professionals, sometimes called Metas in the real world but not in Skinner's novel, manage the children providing day care, education and supervision. Children are encouraged to call their parents by name rather than title to promote a sort of 'generalized' parenting pattern which downplays individual parent-child relationships. Parents are encouraged to provide toys and affection for their own child and a few others at the same time to avoid singling their own child out. This also has the benefit, in the novel, of allowing for children with absent parents to enjoy parental affection from many adults.

     In Walden Two, there is nothing original in the behavior management exercised in lieu of government, continues Frazier, since Society already possesses the psychological techniques needed to obtain universal observance of a code a code which would guarantee the success of a community or state. The old winery needs only a new bottler. Just as politics is reduced to psychology, so is economics. No one can seriously doubt that a well-managed community will get along successfully as an economic unit. A child could prove it. The real problems are psychological. An underlying assumption seems to be that scarcity does not exist. Walden Two is a community that has devised a very high standard of living with a low consumption of goods. (B. F. Skinner, 2005)

     Understandably, it does not please many that his story characters had embraced such social quirks as seeing no benefit in saying thank you and many other social graces this is Skinner's personality coming through: social graces are a waste time. Level headed, nothing to hide, and non-competitive people supposedly don’t need that nonsense. Did Skinner miss something in the demonstrated efficacy of social courtesy? No matter, he lets many of his characters have their conventional, good social habit she has to, to show contrast.
     The communal setting the book describes is egalitarian, fair and desires no material gain other than normal sustenance. Labor needs are divvied-up at the start of each day and earn the communards work credits to ensure that they work a minimal amount for their keep. Over-work is discouraged and considered counter-productive, education and entertainment is much more important and with a large labor pool, daily chores can be completed quickly.
     New incoming members must agree to the community’s social dictates: The Walden Code, a set of easy rules of conduct for harmony in the communal setting. Administrative members called Planners have a bit more leeway and can over-ride the rules when dealing with the outside world. All social positions are on a rotating basis including work, to facilitate an even distribution of duties so everyone can gain experience of the total spectrum of communal life. (B. F. Skinner, 2005)
     So what became of the communities that formed on Skinner's ideas? Many of them are still going and the most renowned one modeled completely around Walden Two, “Twin Oaks Community”, is still at it. Kathleen “Kat” Kinkade, one of the founding members, wrote a book about the real experimental commune, “A Walden Two Experiment” Foreword by Skinner himself.

     The question arises in this present world that whether Walden Two can be achievable in present age. In this regard several societies developed an engineering model of a super efficient, car-free, sustainable city that uses extensive recycling, permaculture, and integrated, co-generation, pollution-free factories to manufacture most of what its citizens consume. The projects are based upon ideas from many different disciplines, which have been time-tested. Walden three is built with proven technology available today. (B. F. Skinner, 2005)

     Anything that saves labor and resources makes Walden richer as a whole. Walden Three engineering model is apolitical. It is just a labor and resource saving device. It frees them for whatever the political economic body wants. Its model allows political systems to maximize their available labor and resources. Thus the underlying basis of economics: conservation. There is no need to take from the rich to solve their economic problems. This is a common economic fallacy. In fact, the rich will profit and benefit greatly from what we propose here.

     Libertarians, socialists, objectivists, communists, fascists, capitalists, or a combination of economic systems can use our hypothetical city-factory-machine. Libertarians or objectivists could float such a city in international waters free of all governments and freeloaders. Communists and far left socialists can use it to eliminate capitalists. One of their plans is built from mud and starts in a prison. While there is no one solution for everyone, most need and prefer some group's economic and political compromise. Today’s Walden Two, compromise has radical, middle-American", conservative, liberal, capitalist, socialist, religious, atheist and other components. Anything that must be pure, must fail. A world wide system must allow for all.

     Despite how good this community sounds, we must remember that this is a work of fiction. Though creating a "Walden Two" type of community could be a good start towards forming a fair society, I am not convinced that this model could work in a large society. In the small community, where everyone knows each other and trusts each other, there is a sense of loyalty that keeps the members subscribing to the ideals of the fair society. In a large society, nobody knows everyone and therefore cannot trust everyone, and this undermines trust in the system itself.