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Apmąstymai apie biheiviorizmą ir visuomenę
Ši knyga yra dar viena – jau ketvirtoji serijos Psichologijos klasika, kurią leidžia VU Specialiosios psichologijos laboratorija, knyga. Šios knygos autoriui Burrhusui Frederickui Skinneriui 2006 m. kovo 20 d. (tą dieną, kai rašomos šios eilutės) būtų sukakę 102 metai. B.F.Skinnerio gyvenimas – tai biheiviorizmo krypties, kurio atstovas ir kūrėjas jis buvo, ir visos psichologijos plėtros laikotarpis. Elgesio (tiksliau, aplinkos ir elgesio sąveikos) mokslo dėsnius tyrinėtojas išplėtojo įvairiomis visuomenės gyvenimo sritims, svajojo apie utopinę bendruomenę, kurios organizavimas būtų paremtas aplinkybių ir elgesio sąveikų optimizavimu.
Perskaičiusieji knygą supras, jog B.F.Skinner – tai asmenybė, kurioje derėjo idėjų gausa, gebėjimas jas ginti, mokėjimas viešinti biheiviorizno atradimus, konstruktyvus protas (mokslininkas pasiūlė aibę patobulinimų elgesio tyrimams, pavyzdžiui, garsiąją Skinnerio dėžę, kamerą kūdikiui auginti su reguliuojama aplinka) ir net vidinis ieškojimų prieštaringumas.
B.F Skinnerio tekstų kalba sudėtinga, joje daug terminų, kuriems sunku rasti lietuviškus atitikmenis (pavyzdžiui reinforcer, operant, contingent, schedules of reinforcement, behavior shaping, aversive stimulus, behavioral technologies ir pan.), o kai kurie iš siūlomų gali pasirodyti nauji ar sunkiai suprantami. Tačiau svarbu, jog vertėjui pavyko išsaugoti skineriškąją tekstų dvasią. Tikimės, kad ši knyga ne tik padės gausesniam skaitytojų būriui pažinti itin įtakingą, tačiau prieštaringai vertinamą psichologijos kryptį, bet ir prisidės prie lietuviškos specialiosios terminijos plėtotės.
Perskaičiusieji knygą supras, jog B.F.Skinner – tai asmenybė, kurioje derėjo idėjų gausa, gebėjimas jas ginti, mokėjimas viešinti biheiviorizno atradimus, konstruktyvus protas (mokslininkas pasiūlė aibę patobulinimų elgesio tyrimams, pavyzdžiui, garsiąją Skinnerio dėžę, kamerą kūdikiui auginti su reguliuojama aplinka) ir net vidinis ieškojimų prieštaringumas.
B.F Skinnerio tekstų kalba sudėtinga, joje daug terminų, kuriems sunku rasti lietuviškus atitikmenis (pavyzdžiui reinforcer, operant, contingent, schedules of reinforcement, behavior shaping, aversive stimulus, behavioral technologies ir pan.), o kai kurie iš siūlomų gali pasirodyti nauji ar sunkiai suprantami. Tačiau svarbu, jog vertėjui pavyko išsaugoti skineriškąją tekstų dvasią. Tikimės, kad ši knyga ne tik padės gausesniam skaitytojų būriui pažinti itin įtakingą, tačiau prieštaringai vertinamą psichologijos kryptį, bet ir prisidės prie lietuviškos specialiosios terminijos plėtotės.
- GenresPsychologyNonfiction
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
5 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
B.F. Skinner
69 books497 followersBurrhus Frederic Skinner was a highly influential American psychologist, author, inventor, advocate for social reform and poet. He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974. He invented the operant conditioning chamber, innovated his own philosophy of science called Radical Behaviorism, and founded his own school of experimental research psychology—the experimental analysis of behavior. His analysis of human behavior culminated in his work Verbal Behavior, which has recently seen enormous increase in interest experimentally and in applied settings. He discovered and advanced the rate of response as a dependent variable in psychological research. He invented the cumulative recorder to measure rate of responding as part of his highly influential work on schedules of reinforcement. In a recent survey, Skinner was listed as the most influential psychologist of the 20th century. He was a prolific author, publishing 21 books and 180 articles.
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March 14, 2021
Rehusamos aceptar prácticas no punitivas porque dejan demasiado claro el hecho de que se está ejerciendo control. Cuando castigamos la mala conducta, podemos dar crédito al individuo por portarse bien; pero si arreglamos las condiciones bajo las cuales él "desea", portarse bien, las condiciones deben recibir el crédito.
Primer libro que leo de skinner, libro físico impreso una década antes de que yo naciera reeleido y rayado que acabe haciendo pedazos pero conservaré para recordarme que lo leí todito apesar que hubo capítulos que hubiese podido saltarme, definitivamente tengo una idea diferente de skinner que la que me había hecho en mis clases de psicología o proyectos de investigación, seguramente leeré sus otros libros en el futuro.
Primer libro que leo de skinner, libro físico impreso una década antes de que yo naciera reeleido y rayado que acabe haciendo pedazos pero conservaré para recordarme que lo leí todito apesar que hubo capítulos que hubiese podido saltarme, definitivamente tengo una idea diferente de skinner que la que me había hecho en mis clases de psicología o proyectos de investigación, seguramente leeré sus otros libros en el futuro.
October 6, 2025
A COLLECTION OF ‘OCCASIONAL’ PAPERS FROM THE 1970s
Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990) wrote in the Preface to this 1978 book, “This is not a book to be read straight through. Most of the papers were occasional, and the occasions various.”
In the first paper, ‘Human Behavior and Democracy,’ he asks, “why should governments confine themselves to aversive control? Why not use positive reinforcement?... We cannot avoid the conclusion that something that could contribute to government in the broadest sense is being overlooked… When our behavior is positively reinforced… we call ourselves happy… these features of human behavior … are out of reach of governments which merely compel obedience and are, at best, left to chance in welfare states. Can they be brought within reach in a democracy?” (Pg. 4-5) He concludes, “A social environment functions most successfully … if, so far as possible, people control people. The design of a social environment in which they do so is one of our most pressing needs. It is quite clearly a special challenge to psychology as a science of behavior.” (Pg. 15)
In ‘Are We Free to Have a Future?’ he explains, “at least 60% of what I have published has been about human behavior. I have discussed government, religion, psychotherapy, education, language, incentive systems, art, literature, and many other human things… I have always stressed the implications of an experimental analysis of human behavior, an analysis which was, indeed, first carried out on lower species, but which was eventually extended to human subjects with comparable results… It became clear that certain features of [the] world had a bearing on some long-standing problems.” (Pg. 16) He summarizes, “if other aspects of human nature, aspects we sum up in the word intelligence, come into play, we may design a world in which our susceptibilities to reinforcement will be less troublesome and … we shall be more likely to behave in ways which promise a future.” (Pg. 32)
In ‘The Ethics of Helping People,’ he states, “we may not really help others by doing things for them… By giving too much help, we postpone the acquisition of effective behavior and perpetuate the need for help. The effect is crucial … in counseling and psychotherapy… One has most effectively helped others when one can stop helping them altogether.” (Pg. 34-35)
In ‘Humanism and Behaviorism,’ he says, “Better forms of government are not to be found in better rulers… better teachers… better citizens… The age-old mistake is to look for salvation in the character of autonomous men and women rather than in the social environments that have appeared in the evolution of cultures and that can now be explicitly designed.” (Pg. 54-55)
In ‘Walden Two Revisited,’ he recounts, “The dissatisfactions which led me to write ‘Walden Two’ were personal. I had seen my wife and her friends struggling to save themselves from domesticity… I had accepted the chairmanship of a department at Indiana and was not sure when I would again have time for science or scholarship… Was there not… something a science of behavior could do? … That all this should come together in a novel about a utopian community was probably due to the fact that a colleague, Alice F. Tyler, had sent me a copy of her new book, ‘Freedom’s Ferment,’ a study of perfectionist movements in America in the 19th century… I decided to write an account of how … a group of, say, a thousand people might have solved the problems of their daily lives with the help of behavioral engineering.” (Pg. 56-57) Later, he adds, “An important theme in ‘Walden Two’ is that political action is to be avoided… What is needed is not … a new kind of government but further knowledge about human behavior and new ways of applying that knowledge to the design of cultural practices.” (Pg. 66)
In ‘The Steep and Thorny Way to a Science of Behavior,’ he concludes, “I return to the role that has been assigned to me as a kind of 20th century Calvin, calling on you to forsake the primrose path of total individualism, self-actualization and self-love, and turn instead to the construction of that heaven on earth which is, I believe, within reach of the methods of science.” (Pg. 82)
In ‘Can We Profit from Our Discovery of Behavioral Science?’ he asks, “Can we begin at last to profit from our discovery of behavioral science and use it to share in the solution of the problems facing the world today? That is the question.” (Pg. 96)
In ‘Why I am not a Cognitive Psychologist,’ he asserts, “The very fact that cognitive processes are going on inside the organism suggests that the cognitive account is closer to physiology than the contingencies of reinforcement studied by those who analyze behavior. But if cognitive processes are simply modeled upon the environmental contingencies, the fact that they are assigned to space inside the skin does not bring them closer to a physiological account. On the contrary, the fascination with an imagined inner life has led to a neglect of observed facts.” (Pg. 111)
In ‘The Experimental Analysis of Behavior (A History),’ he explains, “I was drawn to psychology and particularly to behaviorism by some papers which Bertrand Russell published in the ‘Dial’ in the 1920s and which led me to his book … ‘An Outline of Philosophy’… which contained a much more sophisticated discussion of several epistemological issues than anything of John B. Watson’s.” (Pg. 113) Later, he adds, “My thesis was a sort of declaration of independence from the nervous system, and I restated the position in ‘The Behavior of Organisms.’ (Pg. 123) He summarizes, “I believe that a scientific formulation of human behavior can help us maximize feelings of freedom and dignity. There is a further goal: what lies beyond freedom and dignity is the survival of the species, and the issues I first discussed in ‘Walden Two’ have become much more pressing as the threat of a catastrophic future becomes clearer.” (Pg. 126)
In ‘Some Implications of Making Education More Efficient,’ he observes, “What has come to be called the ‘experimental analysis of behavior’ has already given rise to an effective technology of teaching, although it is not yet widely known or used… A second contribution of the experimental analysis of behavior has to do with classroom management… The power of contingency management in the classroom is well established---though, again, it is not yet widely used.” (Pg. 134-135)
In ‘The Free and Happy Student,’ he states, “A system in which students study primarily to avoid the consequences of not studying is neither humane nor very productive. Its by-products include truancy, vandalism, and apathy. Any effort to eliminate punishment in education is certainly commendable… they should study because they want to… a classical mistake in the literature of freedom … is to suppose that they will do so as soon as we stop punishing them. [After] Students… have been freed from their teachers … [they] simply come under the control of other conditions, as we must look at those conditions and their efforts if we are to improve teaching.” (Pg. 143)
In ‘Designing Higher Education,’ he notes, “It is easy to be misled by what I have called the Idols of the School. The Idol of the Good Teacher is the belief that what a good teacher can do any teacher can do, and the Idol of the Good Student is the belief that what a good student can learn any student can learn… A combination of good teacher and good student may have almost miraculous results… but we must not forget the vast numbers of ordinary teachers… or the vast numbers of ordinary students … For them, effective educational practices must be designed.” (Pg. 151)
In ‘The Shaping of Phylogenic Behavior,’ he states that it “involves at least three things: 1. Behavior comes under the control of new stimuli… 2. The topography of behavior changes… 3. … a third effect of shaping---a maintenance of, or an increase in, the probability that behavior having a given topography and under the control of given stimuli will actually occur.” (Pg. 169-170)
In ‘The Force of Coincidence,’ he argues, “we continue to be fascinated by coincidences which are ‘inexplicable according to the laws of chance.’ This is likely to be the case so long as we forget that the world we live in is an extremely complex sample space, in which it is doubtful whether there are any ‘laws’ of chance which apply to many of the single events occurring in it… the sheer number [of coincidences] may be felt to build up a case for a force which is … metaphysical … But the mere accumulation of instances has less to do with probability than with the striking force of coincidence.” (Pg. 174-175)
In ‘Walden [One] and Walden Two,’ he recounts, “I am not a Thoreau scholar, but I claim to be an amateur in the original sense of a lover… When I met the girl I was to marry, I took her on our first date to Walden. We had just bought a chess set … and on the shores of the Pond she taught me to play chess.” (Pg. 188-189)
In ‘Freedom and Dignity Revisited,’ he argues, “The struggle for freedom has moved slowly, and alas erratically, toward a culture in which controlling power is less and less likely to fall into the hands of individuals and groups who use it tyrannically… Countercontrol is certainly effective, but … The next step can be taken only through the explicit design of a culture which goes beyond the immediate interests of controller and countercontroller.” (Pg. 197)
This diverse book will appeal to those who are fans of Skinner.
Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990) wrote in the Preface to this 1978 book, “This is not a book to be read straight through. Most of the papers were occasional, and the occasions various.”
In the first paper, ‘Human Behavior and Democracy,’ he asks, “why should governments confine themselves to aversive control? Why not use positive reinforcement?... We cannot avoid the conclusion that something that could contribute to government in the broadest sense is being overlooked… When our behavior is positively reinforced… we call ourselves happy… these features of human behavior … are out of reach of governments which merely compel obedience and are, at best, left to chance in welfare states. Can they be brought within reach in a democracy?” (Pg. 4-5) He concludes, “A social environment functions most successfully … if, so far as possible, people control people. The design of a social environment in which they do so is one of our most pressing needs. It is quite clearly a special challenge to psychology as a science of behavior.” (Pg. 15)
In ‘Are We Free to Have a Future?’ he explains, “at least 60% of what I have published has been about human behavior. I have discussed government, religion, psychotherapy, education, language, incentive systems, art, literature, and many other human things… I have always stressed the implications of an experimental analysis of human behavior, an analysis which was, indeed, first carried out on lower species, but which was eventually extended to human subjects with comparable results… It became clear that certain features of [the] world had a bearing on some long-standing problems.” (Pg. 16) He summarizes, “if other aspects of human nature, aspects we sum up in the word intelligence, come into play, we may design a world in which our susceptibilities to reinforcement will be less troublesome and … we shall be more likely to behave in ways which promise a future.” (Pg. 32)
In ‘The Ethics of Helping People,’ he states, “we may not really help others by doing things for them… By giving too much help, we postpone the acquisition of effective behavior and perpetuate the need for help. The effect is crucial … in counseling and psychotherapy… One has most effectively helped others when one can stop helping them altogether.” (Pg. 34-35)
In ‘Humanism and Behaviorism,’ he says, “Better forms of government are not to be found in better rulers… better teachers… better citizens… The age-old mistake is to look for salvation in the character of autonomous men and women rather than in the social environments that have appeared in the evolution of cultures and that can now be explicitly designed.” (Pg. 54-55)
In ‘Walden Two Revisited,’ he recounts, “The dissatisfactions which led me to write ‘Walden Two’ were personal. I had seen my wife and her friends struggling to save themselves from domesticity… I had accepted the chairmanship of a department at Indiana and was not sure when I would again have time for science or scholarship… Was there not… something a science of behavior could do? … That all this should come together in a novel about a utopian community was probably due to the fact that a colleague, Alice F. Tyler, had sent me a copy of her new book, ‘Freedom’s Ferment,’ a study of perfectionist movements in America in the 19th century… I decided to write an account of how … a group of, say, a thousand people might have solved the problems of their daily lives with the help of behavioral engineering.” (Pg. 56-57) Later, he adds, “An important theme in ‘Walden Two’ is that political action is to be avoided… What is needed is not … a new kind of government but further knowledge about human behavior and new ways of applying that knowledge to the design of cultural practices.” (Pg. 66)
In ‘The Steep and Thorny Way to a Science of Behavior,’ he concludes, “I return to the role that has been assigned to me as a kind of 20th century Calvin, calling on you to forsake the primrose path of total individualism, self-actualization and self-love, and turn instead to the construction of that heaven on earth which is, I believe, within reach of the methods of science.” (Pg. 82)
In ‘Can We Profit from Our Discovery of Behavioral Science?’ he asks, “Can we begin at last to profit from our discovery of behavioral science and use it to share in the solution of the problems facing the world today? That is the question.” (Pg. 96)
In ‘Why I am not a Cognitive Psychologist,’ he asserts, “The very fact that cognitive processes are going on inside the organism suggests that the cognitive account is closer to physiology than the contingencies of reinforcement studied by those who analyze behavior. But if cognitive processes are simply modeled upon the environmental contingencies, the fact that they are assigned to space inside the skin does not bring them closer to a physiological account. On the contrary, the fascination with an imagined inner life has led to a neglect of observed facts.” (Pg. 111)
In ‘The Experimental Analysis of Behavior (A History),’ he explains, “I was drawn to psychology and particularly to behaviorism by some papers which Bertrand Russell published in the ‘Dial’ in the 1920s and which led me to his book … ‘An Outline of Philosophy’… which contained a much more sophisticated discussion of several epistemological issues than anything of John B. Watson’s.” (Pg. 113) Later, he adds, “My thesis was a sort of declaration of independence from the nervous system, and I restated the position in ‘The Behavior of Organisms.’ (Pg. 123) He summarizes, “I believe that a scientific formulation of human behavior can help us maximize feelings of freedom and dignity. There is a further goal: what lies beyond freedom and dignity is the survival of the species, and the issues I first discussed in ‘Walden Two’ have become much more pressing as the threat of a catastrophic future becomes clearer.” (Pg. 126)
In ‘Some Implications of Making Education More Efficient,’ he observes, “What has come to be called the ‘experimental analysis of behavior’ has already given rise to an effective technology of teaching, although it is not yet widely known or used… A second contribution of the experimental analysis of behavior has to do with classroom management… The power of contingency management in the classroom is well established---though, again, it is not yet widely used.” (Pg. 134-135)
In ‘The Free and Happy Student,’ he states, “A system in which students study primarily to avoid the consequences of not studying is neither humane nor very productive. Its by-products include truancy, vandalism, and apathy. Any effort to eliminate punishment in education is certainly commendable… they should study because they want to… a classical mistake in the literature of freedom … is to suppose that they will do so as soon as we stop punishing them. [After] Students… have been freed from their teachers … [they] simply come under the control of other conditions, as we must look at those conditions and their efforts if we are to improve teaching.” (Pg. 143)
In ‘Designing Higher Education,’ he notes, “It is easy to be misled by what I have called the Idols of the School. The Idol of the Good Teacher is the belief that what a good teacher can do any teacher can do, and the Idol of the Good Student is the belief that what a good student can learn any student can learn… A combination of good teacher and good student may have almost miraculous results… but we must not forget the vast numbers of ordinary teachers… or the vast numbers of ordinary students … For them, effective educational practices must be designed.” (Pg. 151)
In ‘The Shaping of Phylogenic Behavior,’ he states that it “involves at least three things: 1. Behavior comes under the control of new stimuli… 2. The topography of behavior changes… 3. … a third effect of shaping---a maintenance of, or an increase in, the probability that behavior having a given topography and under the control of given stimuli will actually occur.” (Pg. 169-170)
In ‘The Force of Coincidence,’ he argues, “we continue to be fascinated by coincidences which are ‘inexplicable according to the laws of chance.’ This is likely to be the case so long as we forget that the world we live in is an extremely complex sample space, in which it is doubtful whether there are any ‘laws’ of chance which apply to many of the single events occurring in it… the sheer number [of coincidences] may be felt to build up a case for a force which is … metaphysical … But the mere accumulation of instances has less to do with probability than with the striking force of coincidence.” (Pg. 174-175)
In ‘Walden [One] and Walden Two,’ he recounts, “I am not a Thoreau scholar, but I claim to be an amateur in the original sense of a lover… When I met the girl I was to marry, I took her on our first date to Walden. We had just bought a chess set … and on the shores of the Pond she taught me to play chess.” (Pg. 188-189)
In ‘Freedom and Dignity Revisited,’ he argues, “The struggle for freedom has moved slowly, and alas erratically, toward a culture in which controlling power is less and less likely to fall into the hands of individuals and groups who use it tyrannically… Countercontrol is certainly effective, but … The next step can be taken only through the explicit design of a culture which goes beyond the immediate interests of controller and countercontroller.” (Pg. 197)
This diverse book will appeal to those who are fans of Skinner.
December 14, 2020
I liked this quote: "When we punish bad behaviour, we can give the individual credit for behaving well, but if we arrange conditions under which he 'desires' to behave well, the conditions must get the credit.". This helped me understand, why behaviourism seems to make many people angry, which used to confuse me a lot, especially when I was a teenager. To me it just felt pretty polite/kind/intuitive to not make assumptions about inner workings and look at behaviour (I'm not a behaviourist now, but this was my mindset then).
I also think that behaviourism deserves credit in terms of moving away from more cruel punishments in teaching, historically (not 100% sure how correct this is)?
So I would say this is worth a read, Skinner even works some pop culture examples and jokes into the text and it isn't too long :).
I also think that behaviourism deserves credit in terms of moving away from more cruel punishments in teaching, historically (not 100% sure how correct this is)?
So I would say this is worth a read, Skinner even works some pop culture examples and jokes into the text and it isn't too long :).
January 17, 2026
No puedo clasificar este libro como uno introductorio, pero si como uno clave. El analisis experimental de la conducta ha dejado atras muchas de las bases ontológicas y empíricas de Skinner, debido a la evolución de la ciencia. Pero su trabajo sigue siendo tan relevante como el primer dia, sobre todo por sus aportes metodológicos (la caja operante que aun usamos hasta hoy). Asi que es importante conocer un poco mas al autor, no solo por su obra, sino porque esta se ve muy influenciada por su visión del mundo.
¿Cual es esa visión? Una muy diferente a la que quieren hacer ver sus detractores. Decadas de campañas de desprestigio hicieron ver a Skinner como un lunatico tirano que solo buscaba la mejor forma de controlar a la población como si fueramos simples palomas. La realidad es que Skinner es una de las personas mas nobles a las que llegue a leer. Tiene la confianza en la ciencia de Julio Verne, el espiritu del progreso de Ray Bradbury y la convicción del cambio humano de Kropotkin; combinado con una rebeldía filosofica tan aguda, que varias ocaciones asegura que Platon estaba equivocado y que los sucesores que bebieron de él estaban errados. Eso es tener agallas. Y lo admiro por eso.
En resumen: Skinner veia al analisis de la conducta como la oportunidad perfecta para crear las condiciones de donde pueda nacer una mejor sociedad. Si lo que mueve a un organismo es el ambiente y contexto donde habita, entonces debemos encontrar formas de mejorar dicho ambiente. No somos libres, pues todo lo que hacemos viene de una causa subyacente, que no discriminamos en el momento y que le adjuntamos otras cualidades. Pero si podemos sentirnos mas libres, ser mas dignos entre nosotros. Un buen primer paso seria señalar y premiar lo bueno que hacen las personas, antes de lo malo. El reforzamiento positivo es mas poderoso que el castigo. Ósea, obtener placer es mas efectivo que evitar el dolor.
¿Cual es esa visión? Una muy diferente a la que quieren hacer ver sus detractores. Decadas de campañas de desprestigio hicieron ver a Skinner como un lunatico tirano que solo buscaba la mejor forma de controlar a la población como si fueramos simples palomas. La realidad es que Skinner es una de las personas mas nobles a las que llegue a leer. Tiene la confianza en la ciencia de Julio Verne, el espiritu del progreso de Ray Bradbury y la convicción del cambio humano de Kropotkin; combinado con una rebeldía filosofica tan aguda, que varias ocaciones asegura que Platon estaba equivocado y que los sucesores que bebieron de él estaban errados. Eso es tener agallas. Y lo admiro por eso.
En resumen: Skinner veia al analisis de la conducta como la oportunidad perfecta para crear las condiciones de donde pueda nacer una mejor sociedad. Si lo que mueve a un organismo es el ambiente y contexto donde habita, entonces debemos encontrar formas de mejorar dicho ambiente. No somos libres, pues todo lo que hacemos viene de una causa subyacente, que no discriminamos en el momento y que le adjuntamos otras cualidades. Pero si podemos sentirnos mas libres, ser mas dignos entre nosotros. Un buen primer paso seria señalar y premiar lo bueno que hacen las personas, antes de lo malo. El reforzamiento positivo es mas poderoso que el castigo. Ósea, obtener placer es mas efectivo que evitar el dolor.
April 17, 2014
I definitely enjoyed the first two sections (Society, The Science of Behavior) better than the last two (Education, A Miscellany). I recommend reading in pieces--perhaps a good bathtub book. Read until you get to something profound, put the book down and ponder, pick the book up again on another day.
A few choice excerpts--these might be more for me than you, given that out of context they might not mean what they seem to mean:
"The presumed value of a 'government by the people' is that when people govern themselves they will use aversive measures with restraint." p. 4
"Can we design an environment in which people will treat each other well, keep the size of the population within bounds, learn to work and work productively, preserve and enhance the reinforcing character of the world, explore and analyze that world, limit the use of resources and keep the environment safe for future generations, and do all this because the results are positively reinforcing?" p. 7
[Quoting from the Economist] "'These three main institutions are, in reverse order of importance, its business cooperations, its government, and its mechanisms for living together'--in other words, the economy, the polity, and the culture in the older sense." p. 13
"A major difficulty is that the future always seems to conflict with the present. [gives examples] ...How can people be induced to take the future into account?" p. 17
"Few people now work hard. This does not mean that they have grown lazy; it means that economic incentives are no longer very effective." p. 25
"Who are to plan for the future and under what conditions are they likely to do so? ...Other candidates for the custodianship of the future are to be found among those who have little or no power and hence little or nothing to gain from the present." p.28
[Comparing craftsmen to worker] "It is this condition of 'nondegrading' work which has been destroyed by industrialization..." p. 39
"A way of life in which each person used only a fair share of the resources of the world and yet somehow enjoyed a life would be a real step toward world peace." p. 65
"The United States and Russia spend a staggering part of their incomes on the production of military systems which everyone hopes will never be used and will therefore prove to be a total waste." p. 83
"But happiness is the accompaniment of successful actions rather than of what the action brings. It is characteristic of getting rather than possessing." p 93
"What is gained from dancing in chains?" p. 181
"A philistine might say that a poet has an eye on public relations." p. 182
"For example, in spite of our supposed love of freedom, most of our practices in government, education, psychotherapy, and industry are still heavily punitive. People behave in given ways to avoid the consequences of not doing so." p. 196
A few choice excerpts--these might be more for me than you, given that out of context they might not mean what they seem to mean:
"The presumed value of a 'government by the people' is that when people govern themselves they will use aversive measures with restraint." p. 4
"Can we design an environment in which people will treat each other well, keep the size of the population within bounds, learn to work and work productively, preserve and enhance the reinforcing character of the world, explore and analyze that world, limit the use of resources and keep the environment safe for future generations, and do all this because the results are positively reinforcing?" p. 7
[Quoting from the Economist] "'These three main institutions are, in reverse order of importance, its business cooperations, its government, and its mechanisms for living together'--in other words, the economy, the polity, and the culture in the older sense." p. 13
"A major difficulty is that the future always seems to conflict with the present. [gives examples] ...How can people be induced to take the future into account?" p. 17
"Few people now work hard. This does not mean that they have grown lazy; it means that economic incentives are no longer very effective." p. 25
"Who are to plan for the future and under what conditions are they likely to do so? ...Other candidates for the custodianship of the future are to be found among those who have little or no power and hence little or nothing to gain from the present." p.28
[Comparing craftsmen to worker] "It is this condition of 'nondegrading' work which has been destroyed by industrialization..." p. 39
"A way of life in which each person used only a fair share of the resources of the world and yet somehow enjoyed a life would be a real step toward world peace." p. 65
"The United States and Russia spend a staggering part of their incomes on the production of military systems which everyone hopes will never be used and will therefore prove to be a total waste." p. 83
"But happiness is the accompaniment of successful actions rather than of what the action brings. It is characteristic of getting rather than possessing." p 93
"What is gained from dancing in chains?" p. 181
"A philistine might say that a poet has an eye on public relations." p. 182
"For example, in spite of our supposed love of freedom, most of our practices in government, education, psychotherapy, and industry are still heavily punitive. People behave in given ways to avoid the consequences of not doing so." p. 196
September 5, 2024
Reflections on Behaviorism and Society is a collection of B.F. Skinner's articles/essays analyzing the implications of applying a science of behavior to societal issues. If Skinner's research and writings on behavior had been limited to the lab or even to the clinic, it is unlikely they would have caused the controversy they did. The articles contained within the volume are some of his most important and undervalued to really understand Skinner in the original as opposed to a second hand interpretation. Reading Skinner in the original, particularly in these digestible chunks, dispels a great many of the myths and will likely result in thinking "what's so terrible?" Skinner's idea revolve around applying a science of behavior and using the data gathered to analyze whether programs are being effective or ineffective, and whether we should keep or change the environmental conditions in order to encourage the behavior particular programs are trying to encourage. As it said in one of Skinner's essays, "there is no virtue in accident" and I would add there is nothing scary about scientific analysis of behavior.
August 28, 2021
Abarca reflexiones en tres grandes áreas: sociedad, ciencia de la conducta, educación, además de una sobre varios otros temas analizados por el autor. Me resultó un acercamiento a la obra de Skinner menos experimental y más amplio, tan diverso que va desde la historia del análisis experimental de la conducta hasta un capítulo donde analiza un soneto de Shakespeare. Si bien el propio autor menciona los alcances y limitaciones que vislumbra del análisis conductual aplicado que propone.
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February 18, 2015want to reah
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