Walden Two Summary

B. F. Skinner speaks to the controversy of free will in is novel, Walden Two. This novel proposes that the behavior of people is determined by surrounding environmental variables, and that altering those environmental variables can create a system that very closely portrays an utopia. Professors and students embark on an journey to observe a theoretically perfect society. Skinner speaks to those desiring a flawless society and portrays the positives and negatives of a seamless community. A perfect society is not fit for an imperfect human race. At the beginning of the book, Rogers and Steve Jamnik arrive at professor Burris’s office. They have just returned from serving in the Philippines during World War II. Rogers and Jamnik are searching
Frazier is too much of a product of the outside world: ambitious, selfish, jealous, and a personal failure. Frazier invites the men to join the society and each of them react differently. Castle hates the society and refuses to join. Steve and his girlfriend both decided the this was the life and environment for them, and blended into the community. Rodger is convinced as well but his girlfriend is not and so they return to they previous life. Burris is hesitant even though it appears flawless, but decided to instead return to his academic life. However once he reaches the train station he realizes life at Walden Two would be much simpler, and he instead decided to start fresh at the community at Walden Two. At that point he and Frazier begin discussion on how to spread the word of Walden Two. Walden Two was not fit for everyone, because different people desire to surround themselves in different environments. This is shown in the end of the book when some men decided to join the society and some needed to leave. I really enjoyed this book and the interesting outlook it provided on changing social norms. I would recommend it to any age level high school and up as a way to expand your opinions and fine tune your beliefs on how society should