A reprint of the 1976 Macmillan edition. This fictional outline of a modern Utopia has been a centre of controversy ever since its publication in 1948. Set in the United States, it pictures a society in which human problems are solved by a scientific technology of human conduct. FROM THE PREFACE: It is now widely recognised that great changes must be made in the American way of life. Not only can we not face the rest of the world while consuming and polluting as we do, we cannot for long face ourselves while acknowledging the violence and chaos in which we live. 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 behaviour to create a social environment in which we shall live productive and creative lives and do so without jeopardising 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.
伯勒斯·弗雷德里克·斯金纳（Burrhus Frederic Skinner, 1904-1990）是20世纪后半叶最卓越、最著名的心理学家之一。他于1904年3月20日出生在宾夕法尼亚州萨斯奎汉纳的一个中产阶级家庭。在斯金纳晚年回忆中，父母对其管教严格。父亲假期曾带他参观乡下的监狱，以体会行为不当会产生怎样的后果。在读中学时，他擅长文学，但科学成绩不佳。1922年，斯金纳进入汉密尔顿学院学习文学。大学毕业后，他投身于文学事业，但结果一事无成，还差一点因精神问题去看心理医生。后因受巴甫洛夫（Ivan Petrovich Pavlov）和华生（John Broadus Watson）等人著作的影响，决定转向行为主义心理学。他曾经指出，其科学生涯的一项指导原则就是巴甫洛夫的一句简单格言，即如果你控制了你的环境，你就会看到秩序。斯金纳于1928年进入哈佛大...
