Walden Two – Skinner’s Utopian Novel

In the summer of 1945, BF Skinner wrote The Sun Is But a Morning Star , a utopian novel he finally published in 1948 under the name Walden Two. The idea for this book appeared in the spring of 1945 during a conversation with a friend. 

Both reflected on what young men would do when the war was over. When his friend asked him what they should do instead, Skinner replied; “They should experiment, they should explore new ways of living, just as people in 19th century society did.”

Walden Two was Skinner’s first novel, and it contained much of his scientific knowledge and philosophy of life. Primarily on issues of social justice and human well-being. To begin with, he sold about 700 books a year. It was twice as much as The Behavior of Organisms,  which was the first book he wrote on science.

In the 1950s, his basic research on operant human behavior spread like wildfire. Walden Two  had become better integrated into Skinner’s philosophy, selling 250,000 books a year. Towards the end of his life, he kept talking about utopian issues and humanistic affairs.

Walden Two – a social utopia

This book is utopian in its content. Skinner, however, tried to represent the “good life” in it that most people could achieve. In doing so, he highlighted five principles he shared with Henry David Thoreau:

• First of all, no path in life is inevitable; examine your carefully.

• If you do not like it, change it.
• Do not try to change it through political action. Even if you manage to gain power, you probably can not use it wiser than your predecessors.
• Ask to be alone to solve your problems in your own way.
• Finally, you need to simplify your needs and learn to be happy with fewer possessions.

The contents of Walden Two

This book describes actions that occupied the Americans in the 1940s – both materially and emotionally.

Among the former were actions that guaranteed good health and leisure. What Skinner offered in  Walden Two was an opinion based on the practices of society that could be crucial to achieving health, prosperity, and wisdom. 

Walden Two and health

For Skinner, health encompassed a broader range of actions that included mental, community, and environmental health.

Physical health

In Walden Two , the author describes a range of practices to keep people and society disease-free and to promote physical well-being.

Crowds had to be minimized and babies isolated, as needed, to reduce the spread of infections. 

It was fundamental to reducing outdoor exposure to maintain a healthy immune system. In addition, one should perform daily, physical activities and eat nutritious meals to generally keep the body straight.

Mental health

Walden Two supported mental health when it proposed providing meaningful work to all individuals. A job that focused on the individual strength of people and also ensured enough free time to pursue valuable hobbies and interests.

In addition, work schedules had to be adapted to reduce stress, and employers had to contribute enough opportunities for group activities. The kind that contributed to personal privacy should be preserved whenever possible.

Community health

Defined in terms of harmony and cooperation, Walden Two  promoted  societal health through practices such as equitable distribution of societal resources. There should be no honorary titles and everyone should participate in unskilled jobs. 

Furthermore, society should raise children and people should go out to eat often to interact with other people. Everyone should be involved in all forms of work, including volunteer jobs. For example, both fathers and mothers should be in charge of housework and the care of their children.

Environmental health

Although it was not common to talk about it in the 1940s, Walden Two  affects environmental health through actions that are now more routine and common. Skinner described practices to promote sustainable agriculture. For example, maintenance of healthy pastures through rotational grazing.

It would be necessary to reduce the use of scarce resources.

In other words, build energy-efficient houses, use animals instead of machines to control pastures, share houses, establish work reconciliation hours ,  design efficient, domestic practices, encourage recycling, reduce waste, change clothing styles slowly to avoid fads and monitor water quality (e.g. balance pH levels).

Walden Two and Prosperity

Skinner dealt with practices that could ensure prosperity in society and a fair distribution of resources in it. For example, each member had to contribute his or her own work and thus be part of a group that could meet the needs of their community.

Moreover, they should use the resources wisely to ensure adequate capital, goods and services in the community from cradle to grave for present and future generations. In conclusion, wealth was fairly distributed and no member received benefits at the expense of another in Walden Two. 

Walden Two and Wisdom

This book is fundamentally about wisdom understood as knowledge. It is because it is the process and the product of science. Society needs to be involved in educational practices that ensure freedom and avoidance of ignorance. 

Free and equal education in Walden Two  is available to all, not only the basic academic skills necessary for the survival of society, but also the personal skills necessary for individual and societal harmony.

The community engages in far-reaching practices in addition to educating its individual members. Ultimately, Skinner’s business was to seek and explore knowledge that benefited society as a whole.

Wisdom is the central theme of  Walden Two. Use of science, both descriptive and experimental, to inform and guide actions that ensure the support of the members of society, the effectiveness of society and thus ultimately their survival.

A practical look

Walden Two , located in the utopian genre, discusses the means to maximize social justice and human well-being by balancing the capacity of community members to ensure their survival.

In this book, Skinner describes a myriad of practices for solving problems of individual, social and cultural importance – many of them on a large scale. For example, according to economics, education, environmental sustainability and personal lifestyles.

The solution lies in the application of behavioral analysis to promote individual and societal health, prosperity and wisdom.