B. F. Skinner - Walden Two read by B. F. Skinner on DVD
Published in 2006
Published by: B. F. Skinner Foundation
DVD VERSION: B. F. Skinner reading his book Walden Two now available on DVD in MP3 format. These MP3 files must be downloaded into a computer or MP3 player. The DVD cannot be played as is. The recording came from cassette tapes that Skinner made in the 1980's for his elder daughter as a birthday present. It includes "News from Nowhere, 1984".
This utopian novel describes a fictional community designed around behavioral principles. The community is minimally consuming and minimally polluting, and it is egalitarian in the division of work. Its most controversial aspect is the communal raising of children and the educational system which teaches patience and how to handle destructive emotions such as jealousy along with normal academic subjects. With remarkable foresight, Skinner wrote, "It is now widely recognized that great changes must be made in the American way of life... 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 he 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."