With environmental and social problems becoming serious issues in today's society, the search for solutions is evident. B.F. Skinner's book presents a fictional outline of a modern utopia in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human conduct. This book serves as a possible example of how our knowledge of human behavior can be used to create a productive social environment while preserving the chances of future generations to do the same. This is Skinner's literary statement about how to "solve" the problems of the modern world through a fictional story of a utopian community. The book suffers from Skinner's continual lecturing through the main character, and lack of specific details of how to implement his ideas. From a certain viewpoint he makes sense, but from another his notions are pure lunacy. The writings here are very theoretical - Skinner imagines how a human society might be "controlled" using the fruits of his knowledge gained in animal research labs. His writings are purely speculative and quite imaginary. Like so many other psychological theoreticians his assertions are vague, generalized and far removed from any actual realistic plan for detailed implementation of the ideas. In this way he is like so many other "ivory-towered" philosophers who can talk and talk, but fail miserably when dealing with actual life and people. Skinner is not completely wrong - the environment does influence people, sometimes dramatically. But his one-sided approach tosses out any notion of a self-determined responsible human being capable of acting (i.e. behaving) intentionally based upon ethical, moral or well thought-out personal choices and decisions. As with most behavioral psychologists, it's all environmental. He quite comfortably asserts that such notions are useless and should be quickly forgotten! B.F. Skinner is another behaviorist who views Man as an animal, subject to the same laws of stimulus-response that he observes in his "rat boxes". Skinner makes no bones about it and flatly denies the existence of a "human mind", personal responsibility and any type of "inner personality". It is essential to understand Skinner to grasp where the current unworkable and basically degrading theories and methods of pseudo-scientific psychology and psychiatry come from. To him thoughts, will, intention, purposes and responsibility are meaningless terms which only "seem" to exist. He considers them tedious concepts which interfere with a "true" understanding of Man as a controllable animal devoid of a soul, mind and any ability to act on one's own self-determinism. Skinner is one theorist of many similar fools spreading the anti-mind, anti-responsibility, and anti-soul view of Man in modern times. He should be read with an aim towards understanding where modern thought has gone wrong. Behaviorism is one large example of this.
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