Walden Two

Walden Two is a novel published in 1948 by B. F. Skinner, who intended it to describe a utopia. Others have claimed it's a dystopia, noting its similarity to cults.

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Walden Two describes a fictional community designed around behavioral principles. The community is minimally consuming and minimally polluting, and it is egalitarian in the division of work. Its most controversial aspect is the communal raising of children and the educational system, which teaches patience and how to handle destructive emotions such as jealousy along with normal academic subjects.

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Skinner wrote,

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:It is now widely recognized that great changes must be made in the American way of life The choice is clear: either we do nothing and allow a miserable and probably catastrophic future to overtake us, or we use our knowledge about human behavior to create a social environment in which he shall live productive and creative lives and do so without jeopardizing the chances that those who follow us will be able to do the same. Something like a Walden Two would not be a bad start.

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The title is an allusion to Henry David Thoreau's book Walden.

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Actual communities based on or inspired by Walden Two that continue to thrive today include:

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• Los Horcones Los Horcones, founded 1973
• Twin Oaks Twin Oaks, founded 1967

The book can be found by the ISBNs:

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• ISBN 087220779X (Hardcover)
• ISBN 0872207781 (Paperback)
• ISBN 002411510X (Mass market paperback)

B. F. Skinner: Burrhus Frederic Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990) was an American psychologist and author. He conducted pioneering work on experimental psychology and advocated behaviorism, which seeks to understand behavior as a function of environmental histories of reinforcement. He also wrote ...

Utopia: Utopia, in its most common and general positive meaning, refers to the human efforts to create a better society, a perfect society that does not exist (yet)....

Dystopia: This article is about the philosophical concept. For the Half-Life 2 mod, see Dystopia (computer game)...

Walden Two related Images and Photos (experimental)

Two	Walden Pond	Two Koi	Two Plus Two
Two Mugs	Two Cats	Two Pots	Two Bits
Two Cats	Two Cats	Two Blue	Two by Two