Walden Two and the Concept of Utopia

Walden Two and the Concept of Utopia:
Personal Utopic Vision
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Walden Two and the Concept of Utopia:
Personal Utopic Vision
Introduction
For years, the imagination of man has been a rich source of the many and varied descriptions of personal utopias or heavens. In its most basic sense, a utopia involves what is ideal in a society or community, especially in terms of the political, social, and legal systems that govern the dynamics of the community. Indeed, the imagination of man allows him to conjure worlds from things around him, and to picture how a utopia may appear. Some of these things worlds are in fact sometimes too hard to picture that they almost seemed insane and impossible. In fact, some of the most bizarre worlds ever painted by the human imagination included flying dragons, magical abilities, and even futuristic communities where all one has to do to lift an object is think about doing so.
This seeming improbability of such utopias may have also colored the descriptions of the utopia Walden Two, conjured by B.F. Skinner (1982). The said world is described in Skinner`s (1982) entitled the same, and involves a world that largely thrives on the modification of behaviors. A more detailed description of the novel will be provided in the next section, but an important fact to note is that at the time the novel was written, the concept of modifying behavior is still an "infant", and no real methods have been developed yet.
In relation, this paper will then explore the concept of utopia, by exploring Skinner`s Walden Two, and the different dynamics that make it ideal. A background and summary of Walden Two will first be provided, followed by a focus on the concept and role of Behavior modification in the said society. Afterwards, the student`s personal vision of a utopia will be discussed and described. More importantly, this paper will attempt to discuss that although people can have varying views on what consists of a utopia, the most important aspect of such a place is the actual effort exerted by people to improve themselves, their behaviors, and their surroundings.
Walden Two: Background and Summary
Walden two involves the story of a community, a utopia, where societal and political systems have made it possible for people to live ideally. The story first presents three main characters: Steve and Rogers Jamnik, two young men who have just come home from World War II, and Professor Burris. The first two males visit the office of the latter and inquire about a utopia being built by a man named Frazier. Having been disillusioned about America, the two young soldiers are looking for a change in their lives, which prompted them to seek out Professor Burris. Professor Burris remembered Frazier and wrote to him. Frazier responded with an invitation for Burris and his friends to visit Walden two, the utopia developed by Frazier.
With the travel to Walden Two, several other characters were presented, including Castle, a colleague of Burris, Steve`s girlfriend Mary, and Roger`s girlfriend, Barbara. The group arrives at Walden Two, and they are welcomed by Frazier. For three days, the visitors came to know the systems of the utopia, and what made them effective for all. Discussions among the characters, especially by Frazier, also revealed the different rationale and psychological techniques that made the inner systems of the utopia work.
During the three days` visit, the reader also comes to know the village of Walden Two. Walden Two is composed of around 1,000 individuals of varying shapes, sizes, and ages who all appear to be happy and healthy. The buildings of Walden Two are communal, and it is in here that the citizens live together, eating in common dining areas, raising their children in the communal nursery, and developing or growing pretty much everything that they need. Each of the workdays in Walden Two include only four hours of labor, but no one is paid wages. This is for the reason that nothing costs money in Walden Two.
The different visitors react to the community in different manners. Some are convinced of the arguments presented by Frazier, others were appalled with the community, othe...