Walden Two Essay - 952 Words

Book Title: Walden Two Author: B.F. Skinner Pages: 301 I. SETTING: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A. Time: mid 1940’s (after the end of WWII) nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;B. Place: Walden Two, R.D. I, Canton nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;C. Detailed description of the opening scene: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Rogers and Steve just returning from war, and looking for a new nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;beginning read an article on a man named Frazier who was planning to nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;begin an experimental utopian society. They immediately become intrigued nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;by the idea. Their interest brought them to the office of Professor Burris,†¦show more content†¦Main Character: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Professor Burris is a professor of psychology, the central character of nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;the novel, and the man through whose eyes we view the many aspects of nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Walden Two. He is very intelligent, and initially doubtful of the operations nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;of Walden Two, but is more and more fanatical about it over the course of nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;his visit. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;B. Supporting Character: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;T.E. Frazier is a former classmate of Burris at his graduate school, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;and is one of the founding members of Walden Two. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;C. Supporting Character: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Augustine Castle is a philosopher and a colleague of Burris at the nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;university. He is equally as intelligent as Burris and a gifted debater, but he nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;is rather closed-minded; he debates with Frazier his whole visit to Walden nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Two, trying to find some practical reason why it shouldn’t work. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;D. Supporting Character: nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Rogers is a former classmate of Burris. After returningShow MoreRelated walden two Essay812 Words   |  4 PagesWalden Two nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two, Skinner presents many positive changes to society in his utopia, such as: division of labor, encouragement of perusing your own interests in education, and absolute equality. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In Walden Two, a member is paid in credits that are required by the society. Each person earns a certain amount of credits per hour for every job they do. Everyone is expected to work to receive 4-6 credits for one day.Read MoreUtopia Viewpoint in B.F. Skinners Book, Walden Two924 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1948, B.F. Skinner published his novel, Walden Two, based on an utopian viewpoint that once arose from a dinner conversation with a friend. Skinner shared his thoughts with his companion about soldiers returning from war. Skinner was curious as to how soldiers could abandon adventure only to tie themselves down to pursue the â€Å"American Dream† when they could be exploring the world caught up in their own personal experiences (Altus Morris, 2004). However, Skinner’s utopian viewpoint was not aRead MoreIn Henry ThoreauS Walden Thoreau Spent Two Years Away904 Words   |  4 PagesThoreau s Walden Thoreau spent two years away from society living in a cabin in the woods with only the necessities. He was surrounded by farmers and would occasionally go into town. Thoreau was a transcendentalist that tried to find answers to life’s questions through nature. He challenged the regular way society would live and found that his way was a rewarding way of living.He compared the way that the farmers around him to how he was able to live and compared the difference of the two ways to liveRead MoreWalden Two Analysis789 Words   |  4 PagesB. F. Skinner’s Walden Two is a fictional account of a utopia set after World War II built on psychological techniques and behavioral engineering. Its creator, T. E. Frazier, is indicative of Skinner himself, who was a well-known behaviorist and psychologist in the mid-20th Centur y. â€Å"Give me the specifications, and I’ll give you the man!† he boasts in his novel. Although the words are really Frazier’s, they best summarize Skinner’s behaviorist model. Given enough knowledge about man’s behaviorRead More Positive Change In World Through Manipulation of Behavior in B.F Skinners Waldo Two812 Words   |  4 PagesPositive Change In World Through Manipulation of Behavior in B.F Skinners Waldo Two   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B.F. Skinner, in his novel Walden Two, presents many arguments about how he foresees a positive change in the world through manipulation of behavior on the personal level. Sigmund Freud, in his works, specifically Civilization and Its Discontents, presents his view of human nature and what is innately problematic about it. Both Freud and Skinner agree that human behavior is the result of outside factorsRead MoreWalden Two Analysis914 Words   |  4 PagesB. F. Skinner’s novel, Walden Two, tells a story about a group of Americans discovering a way to escape from a broken world in a utopian society. The community, called Walden Two, unifies its members through strict policies and positive reinforcement. Even though outsiders find these policies strange, those who live in Walden are thankful for the happiness they experience. In his work, Skinner teaches his readers about behavioral engineering and how utopian communities would not be â€Å"perfect† withoutRead MoreBiography of Burrhus Frederic Skinner Essays1329 Words   |  6 PagesPsychology and moved to Minnesota to teach at the University of Minnesota. He met Yvonne Blue there and married her. Between raising a family and teaching Skinner was not able to do much work studying and experimenting with behavior. In 1944 World War Two was in full swing and Skinner was able to work on his behavior experiments. He was hired to work on a top secret government project. Skinner had a tough job to do, he had to teach pigeons to guide missiles. There were no missile guidance systems thenRead MoreUnderstanding the Psychologist Called Burrhus Frederick Skinner1190 Words   |  5 PagesAssignment 4 Valerie Rountree Walden University Management in Human and Social Development - MGMT 8010 June 28, 2014 Understanding Burrhus Frederic Skinner B. F. Skinner was one of the most influential of American psychologists. A radical behaviorist, he developed the theory of operant conditioning, the idea that behavior is determined by its consequences, be they reinforcements or punishments, which make it more or unlikely that the behavior will be repeated again, (NNDB, 2014)Read More The Demons Within Essay4158 Words   |  17 Pagespsychologist, B.F. Skinner in his novel, Walden Two (1948). Well written and entertaining, Walden Two is directed to the layman rather than to the professional psychologist. It concerns a fictitious intentional community of 1,000 started by one Frazier (no first name or title ever mentioned) who applies the tools of behavioral modification to make of Walden Two the best of all possible worlds. Skinners technique as a propagandist is to show us Walden Two through the eyes of various outsiders whoRead MoreSummary Of Walden Two ( 1948 )757 Words   |  4 PagesSkinner is an American Psychologist from Pennsylvania who developed the idea of Behaviorism after studying at Harvard University (Biography.com Editors, n.d.). He is also known for his works such as, The Behavior of Organisms (1938), the novel Walden Two (1948), and later Beyond Freedom and Human Dignity (1971) which examines behaviorism in society (Biography.com Editors, n.d.). Burrhus Frederic Skinner was born and raised in Susquehanna, a little town in Pennsylvania on March 20,1904 (B.F. Skinner