Beyond Freedom and Dignity (Skinner)

Skinner, B. F. Beyond Freedom and Dignity. New York: Knopf, 1971.

BFS denies the existence of "autonomous man" and asserts the current existence of a "technology of behavior" (conditioning) which should be used rationally and systematically. BFS's opponents see him proposing a view of humans-as-automata and recommending for us a dystopia of totalitarian control. BFS and the whole school of Behaviorism are favorite targets in a fair amount of pessimistic S. F. and dystopian satire. (See entry in this Category for J. B. Watson[1].)