From the Back Cover: Twin Oaks, perhaps America's most famous and successful commune, was founded in rural Virginia in 1967 by Kathleen Kinkade and several other people, all of whom were influenced by B.F. Skinner's Walden Two. Eschewing primitivism for its own sake, embracing technology instead of rejecting it, these creators of Twin Oaks set out to build a community not only structured but also experimental in which the goal was the "good life". Kathleen Kinkade describes in great detail the story of the hard work put in by people who wanted to live together in as much harmony as possible.

A reprint of the 1976 Macmillan edition. This fictional outline of a modern utopia has been a center 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.

In Walden Two, behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner describes one of the most controversial fictional utopias of the twentieth century. During the 1960s and 70s, this novel went on to inspire approximately three dozen actual communities, which are entertainingly examined in Hilke Kuhlmann's Living Walden Two. In the novel, behavioral engineers use positive reinforcement in organizing and "gently guiding" all aspects of society, leaving the rest of the citizens "free" to lead happy and carefree lives. Among the real-world communities, a recurrent problem in moving past the planning stages was the nearly ubiquitous desire among members to be gentle guides, coupled with strong resistance to being guided. In an insightful and often hilarious narrative, Hilke Kuhlmann explores the dynamics of the communities, with an in-depth examination of the two surviving Skinnerian communities: Comunidad Los Horcones in Mexico, and Twin Oaks in Virginia. Drawing on extensive interviews with the founders and key players in the Walden Two communities, Kuhlmann redefines the criteria for their success by focusing on the tension between utopian blueprints for a new society and communal experiments' actual effects on individual lives.

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience: This is Thoreau's classic protest against government's interference with individual liberty. One of the most famous essays ever written, it came to the attention of Gandhi and formed the basis for his passive resistance movement.

A comprehensive study guide offering in-depth explanation, essay, and test prep for B. F. Skinner’s Walden Two, the behavioral psychologist’s only published attempt at fiction. As a novel of the 1940s, Walden Two has been thought of as science fiction due to the fact that science-based methods of modifying human behavior did not yet exist. Moreover, its controversial discussion of the rejection of free will can baffle readers. This Bright Notes Study Guide explores the context and history of B.F. Skinner’s classic work, helping students to thoroughly explore the reasons it has stood the literary test of time. Each Bright Notes Study Guide contains: - Introductions to the Author and the Work - Character Summaries - Plot Guides - Section and Chapter Overviews - Test Essay and Study Q&As The Bright Notes Study Guide series offers an in-depth tour of more than 275 classic works of literature, exploring characters, critical commentary, historical background, plots, and themes. This set of study guides encourages readers to dig deeper in their understanding by including essay questions and answers as well as topics for further research.

Inspired by Thoreau, Ilgunas set out on a Spartan path to pay off $32,000 in undergraduate student loans by scrubbing toilets and making beds in Alaska. Determined to graduate debt-free after enrolling in graduate school, he lived in an Econoline van in a campus parking lot, saving--and learning--much about the cost of education today.