None_Provided

             Skinner, following in the footsteps of John B. Watson, believed the final goal of behaviorism, and ultimately psychology was "the prediction and control of behavior"(Benjamin, 1997, p.396). Of course, with this prediction and control of behavior there comes some important philosophical questions such as, who will be the controllers of behavior, what behaviors will be controlled, which ones will not, and finally, will this control be to our advantage or do we lose our freedom? This mode of thinking is where B.F. Skinner tries to make his far-reaching contribution to society as a whole. Skinner believes that with the discovery of operant conditioning and use of behaviorist theory that a new utopian society can be created. In his books such as, Reflections on Behaviorism and Society, The Technology of Teaching, and most directly in Walden Two, Skinners tries to address some of the philosophical questions raised by behaviorism and defend his hopes for utopia. Because Skinner's ide!
             as reach into the realm of moral philosophy he has come under some attack from both psychologists and philosophers. James McGraw, one of the many Skinner opponents, says that, "Such a Utopian society would undermine the values that many of us hold dear"(McGray, 1984, p.15 ). The purpose of this paper will be to examine Skinner's theory behind his utopian society, the critics who attack his plan for its brashness, and the answers which he formulates to defend his ideas.
             It is obvious that such an accomplishment as animal learning theory is important to our society, however, what caused Skinner to try and apply it to creating a perfect world? The answer to this question is probably comes best from Skinner himself. In Reflection on Behaviorism and Society, Skinner talks about the time frame in which he wrote Walden Two as the end of a dark time for civilization in the western world. The Great Depression was still a strong memory in many American's minds, the th...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
None_Provided . (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:08, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/65058.html