This fictional outline of a modern utopia has been a center of controversy since its publication in 1948. Set in the United States, it pictures a s...
read full description
reviews
Apr 30, 2008
Avery
rated it: 
Walden Two by B.F. Skinner is one of those books that you, at the same time, love and hate. Personally, I thought that the idea was a ridiculously interesting concept in and of itself, and Skinner made a valiant attempt to implement it in a fictional novel, but ended up with a pile of literary shit powdered with intellectual diamond dust. I’m sure that both parts of my analogy can easily be explained; Skinner is a Psychologist and not a creative writer. I have to say, I think I liked the book bu
More...
Nov 16, 2007
Sam
rated it:
A fictional outline of Skinner's ideal utopian society. The characters are all very flat, and it is obvious that Skinner is using the story only as a vehicle to present his theories of social reform. Nonetheless, those ideas in themselves were interesting enough to hold my attention despite the mediocre writing. It is considered controversial because it espouses 'behavioral engineering' in a non-democratic societal arrangement. However, Skinner's arguments and examples are convincing and thought
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Nov 21, 2008
Jonathan
rated it: 
My psychology professor informed us that Skinner at first intended to be a writer. I think the world is blessed in many ways that he changed his mind. My review of the novel (one star) is due to judging it as a work of literature, which is how he wrote it. It sucks. What he should have done was put forth a pamphlet of about 30 pages called "The Walden Two Manifesto" and described the construction, regulation, behavioral principals, etc, that make up the community. Lots of very int
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Apr 21, 2011
Melissa
rated it: 
I have to say that I find it funny how often the user reviews call Walden Two "boring." I get as bored reading a philosophical treatise as the next person, but Walden Two is actually easy and engaging to read. It's even funny in the little ways the narrator mocks the hero Fraser as well as the daft intellectual Castle. Skinner has this great way of describing when conversation is awkward, or when people misunderstand each other in little ways, or when a person's ego is showing. I mean,
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Mar 18, 2011
Megan
rated it:
One time, I threw this book out a window. That should probably tell you how much I detest it. It was required reading for a class, and I fully acknowledge that this "review" is basically just venting the resentment and bafflement that still lingers.
Part of my ire is that Walden Two is presented as a novel (albeit blandly written with no care for depth of characters, emotions, or plot), and man, do I as a reader detest poorly-written fiction that's ultimately trying to argu More...
Part of my ire is that Walden Two is presented as a novel (albeit blandly written with no care for depth of characters, emotions, or plot), and man, do I as a reader detest poorly-written fiction that's ultimately trying to argu More...
Dec 18, 2008
Bruce
rated it: 
When I think of stories about utopian societies -- Brave New World, 1984, The Time Machine, and Gattaca for example -- I really think of a genre that sends up a dystopia as a means of satire. It's like a subgenre of mystery, with a well-worn formula. The protagonist introduces us to an 'ideal' world whose darker implications are only later revealed (the mystery lies in the discovery of what these implications really are). In the end, the protagonist has either escaped, been co-opted or killed
More...
5 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 16, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
Walden Two earns four stars not for its literary value (it's not terribly well written or compelling only as a story), but for the thought provoking social science concepts it raises. Intellectual stimulation earns it a place on my great books list.
The concept of behavioral engineering is both repulsive and intriguing to me. The line between behavioral engineering and brainwashing is just too fine. I have enough Professor Castle in me to balk at the ideas that freedom is nonexiste More...
The concept of behavioral engineering is both repulsive and intriguing to me. The line between behavioral engineering and brainwashing is just too fine. I have enough Professor Castle in me to balk at the ideas that freedom is nonexiste More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Mar 09, 2008
Beth
rated it: 
This book was amazing. I was completely seduced by the idea of behavioral engineering and I was ready to move into Walden Two after finishing it! The discussion of free will at the end was fun. I learned lots afterwards reading critiques of skinner's ideas by chomsky and others.
While I doubt the ideas would work in practice, the way of life presented in this story is what techonology SHOULD be used for: giving us more free time to pursue the things we want!
While I doubt the ideas would work in practice, the way of life presented in this story is what techonology SHOULD be used for: giving us more free time to pursue the things we want!
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 30, 2011
Smashingp
rated it:
El libro podía haber dado más de sí, el hecho de que "explique" las cosas vagamente (por ejemplo el tema de gobierno:los administradores?planificadores?) lo hace más utópico de lo que ya es de por sí, y tres tantas de lo mismo con el tema de la educación aunque suene atractivo.
De todas formas es un relato demoledor o una especie de lección, el libro tendrá más de medio siglo y aún así por el contexto parece que fue escrito hoy (2011). La parte más interesante desde luego es More...
De todas formas es un relato demoledor o una especie de lección, el libro tendrá más de medio siglo y aún así por el contexto parece que fue escrito hoy (2011). La parte más interesante desde luego es More...
Aug 12, 2009
Andrea
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 02, 2012
Linda
rated it:
I'd probably actually give 3.5 stars with the extra 0.5 for still being so relevant with regards to the political issues discussed. Unfortunately, it's almost like not much has changed in the past 60+ years in that regard. For example: "The original victory over tyranny was a constitutional guarantee of personal rights, including the right to protest if conditions were not satisfactory. But the business of ruling was left to someone else. Nowadays, everybody fancies himself an expert in gov
More...
Mar 23, 2010
David
rated it:
I'll preface my review with full disclosure: I disagree with nearly all of Skinner's presuppositions, many of his methods, and certainly many of his conclusions.
Having said that, it's fair to say this is one of the most mind-blowing books I've ever read, because in new and surprising ways it forces you to extricate your mind from the culture/society you are submersed in and engage in a thought experiment: "What if things could be different?"
Many of Skinner's ide More...
Having said that, it's fair to say this is one of the most mind-blowing books I've ever read, because in new and surprising ways it forces you to extricate your mind from the culture/society you are submersed in and engage in a thought experiment: "What if things could be different?"
Many of Skinner's ide More...
Dec 25, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
It's a classic, and I have a thing for utopia/dystopian novels. Skinner is a psychologist, not a writer, so read this one for its ideas not it's beautiful writing.
___________
“A world which has been made beautiful and exciting by artists, composers, writers, and performers is as important for survival as one which satisfies biological needs.”
___________
“The mob rushes in where individuals fear to tread, and Führers deceive themselves as to their support.” (37) More...
___________
“A world which has been made beautiful and exciting by artists, composers, writers, and performers is as important for survival as one which satisfies biological needs.”
___________
“The mob rushes in where individuals fear to tread, and Führers deceive themselves as to their support.” (37) More...
May 12, 2011
Kelsey
rated it:
I haven't read this book since taking that Honors Psychology 2 class my Junior year of high school, which was quite a while back. But I recently found it at a yard sale and had to pick it up. It's one of the best books I've read about behavioral psychology in a long time.
The first thing I remember enjoying about this book was that it didn't read like at textbook, but a Utopian, science fiction-y novel. (I myself enjoy a good Utopian book, so this was in my ballpark). Then as we got More...
The first thing I remember enjoying about this book was that it didn't read like at textbook, but a Utopian, science fiction-y novel. (I myself enjoy a good Utopian book, so this was in my ballpark). Then as we got More...
Aug 04, 2009
Samantha
rated it:
I wish that I could give this book 3.5 stars....I am torn. The alternative society that is presented is very well thought out and enjoyable to read about. The plot of this 'story' however is quite underdeveloped to say the least.
In the first 14 pages of the book you 'meet' six of the seven characters of the book. This meet-and-greet is between the characters themselves and you the reader and very little is divulged...a name, status (student, professor, girlfriend..), little else. The More...
In the first 14 pages of the book you 'meet' six of the seven characters of the book. This meet-and-greet is between the characters themselves and you the reader and very little is divulged...a name, status (student, professor, girlfriend..), little else. The More...
Jun 03, 2011
Kirsty
rated it:
At face value, Walden Two is the book I've been wanting to write, before I knew it existed. A description of a utopia that doesn't get bogged down in unnecessary plot and a running psychological and sociological debate throughout is honestly my idea of the perfect novel (particularly if the so-called utopia is more dystopian) and I felt somewhat vindicated in discovering that something that seems to go against the art of storytelling could create something thought-provoking and seemingly eternal
More...
Apr 30, 2009
Mary
rated it:
A behavioral psychologist imagines a utopia based on principles of positive reinforcement and training peopl eto act in a way that benefits the community. Professor Burris narrates for us when he and some friends visit his old colleague Frazier, the founder of Walden Two. Each character is on varying levels of acceptance, as Frazier expounds on his Utopia; Castle, in particular, remains a determined skeptic, while Burris finds himself mediating between Castle and Frazier.
I was rather More...
I was rather More...
Mar 29, 2010
Mark
rated it:
A utopia founded on the premise that efficiencies of mass production can be applied at community level to deliver a surfeit & thereby create free time, which is the singular luxury underlying all others, enabling the community a rich and rewarding life.
A quick introductory note that I am reviewing this book for its ideas, more than it's literary merit, which I'd agree with others is marginal. You likely won't read this because you want a fun utopia story, but rather because you want More...
A quick introductory note that I am reviewing this book for its ideas, more than it's literary merit, which I'd agree with others is marginal. You likely won't read this because you want a fun utopia story, but rather because you want More...
Nov 30, 2008
Judy
rated it:
This was one of those very impactful stories I read during college (not as an assignment). Skinner creates a modern Utopia, in this story first published in 1948. The story is told as a visitor goes to the "commune" (I don't know how else to describe it), and he is shown around and various aspects of the society are described, discussed, observed, explained, and experienced. It was very fascinating to me as a young adult, to read a story in which many of our negative and violent beh
More...
Feb 24, 2010
David
rated it:
Written in 1948. I was six years old. If you don't know who B.F.Skinner is look him up before you read it. It is a fascinating tale of a fictional attempt at a utopian society. The story is a thinly disquised cover for a series of monologues (not by the protagonist) on the virtues of the manufactured society (cult?). If you have an interest in sociology and the formation or adaptation (influence) of social groups, you will find this interesting.
You may also be interested in books More...
You may also be interested in books More...
Feb 12, 2009
Charles
rated it:
As a novel, this is not a wonderfully written book. But as a fictional expansion on B. F. Skinner's idea of a utopian society, it is extremely interesting and extremely important. Skinner lays out his idea of a world in which all behavior is guided by clearly stated reinforcement.
Skinner makes the point in his writings, that we are all completely controlled by our world of reinforcement and punishment, but that we like to imagine that we have free will. This books lays out that More...
Skinner makes the point in his writings, that we are all completely controlled by our world of reinforcement and punishment, but that we like to imagine that we have free will. This books lays out that More...
Jan 05, 2009
In the mid 20th century many efforts were made to establish Utopian communes to usurp the dregs of standard society. This book attempts to cover the reasoning and methods to establish such a place, in respects to contemporary solutions to modern day living. However the book covers a pro/con balanced argument thru its characters but sometimes can leave you feeling like you're reading one long argument. Not written to sway opinion either way rather it's meant to bring these issues to light for the
More...
Jan 28, 2012
Chris
rated it:
An appalling and unrealistic view of a utopian society, rejecting personal liberty and democracy, based on the author's belief in behavioralism, rather than on a real understanding of human nature.
There may have been some good ideas in there as well, but mainly it described a stifling environment. Surely it's obvious that the vast majority of people do not want to surrender their autonomy? The book description (viewable on Amazon and elsewhere) for Living Walden Two by Hilke Kuhlmann states that More...
There may have been some good ideas in there as well, but mainly it described a stifling environment. Surely it's obvious that the vast majority of people do not want to surrender their autonomy? The book description (viewable on Amazon and elsewhere) for Living Walden Two by Hilke Kuhlmann states that More...
Dec 28, 2011
Aaron
rated it:
Brave New World Lite. Walden Two is a novel about a hypothetical scientifically-planned utopian community based upon Skinner's research. The overall premise is that most of society's problems stem from people being unhappy, alcoholism to cite an example. Have society train it's members to be happy, and the problems like divorce and drug-abuse go away mostly by themselves. How is this training accomplished? Power is placed in the hands of a few highly-trained sociologists who engineer the communi
More...
Aug 09, 2011
Walden two is one of those books that could only have come out of the discourse of its time. It's interesting to consider what concepts of freedom and happiness actually entail. I like that the book forces the reader to consider what norms one lives by and whether those norms really make sense or are a construct of society.
In a time when unemployment inches upwards and little buffer is provided despite times of surplus, it's interesting to think of Skinner's world and what it might be like if e More...
In a time when unemployment inches upwards and little buffer is provided despite times of surplus, it's interesting to think of Skinner's world and what it might be like if e More...
May 01, 2011
David
rated it:
I just read Walden Two for the fourth or fifth time, and it is curious how this thin not-terribly-well-written book of social criticism and behavioral engineering has grown with me. I first read it as an idealistic 19-year-old and promptly visited a commune for two weeks. I spent a good chunk of my twenties studying intentional communities and creating fictional communities in my head, all in one way or another influenced by Walden Two. As I've aged I find that the increasing responsibilities
More...
Sep 25, 2008
Erik
rated it:
I don't much like B.F. Skinner's radical behaviorism, but I enjoyed his novel, Walden Two, assigned by Professor Alan Jones for his seminar, "Utopia and Society", at Grinnell College. My appreciation may have been exaggerated by having just read More's Utopia and Zamyatin's We, neither of which were easy reading, More because of my ignorance of his times, Zamyatin because of the turgidity of the translation. Compared to them, Skinner was a breeze, his book a pleasure.
Beha More...
Beha More...
Oct 28, 2008
Sean
rated it:
This book was most useful to me as a primer for investigating the ethics of anarchism. Skinner outlines a prototypical society that has been radically reorganized under socialist lines by making the best use of modern technology and scientific techniques- including those of social control. In the process of fleshing out his ideas, Skinner is forced to address a variety of ethical dilemmas and I found these points of conflict illuminating for my own thought process.
As powerful an More...
As powerful an More...
Mar 26, 2009
Mike
rated it:
OK, what's a utopia? According to the founder of Walden Two, Frazier, it's a place with no family, religion, and no one says thank you. He just limits the residents so they can only make good decisions. Questions of free will and freedom ensue from the visiting outsiders (professors at a nearby university). You found yourself, like the professors, looking around for the flaw in the design of Walden Two. In a way, we don't want it to be true.
I found it very interesting and think More...
I found it very interesting and think More...
Dec 05, 2009
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
