Behaviorists, or more precisely Skinnerians, commonly consider Skinner's work to have been misrepresented, misunderstood, and to some extent defamed. In this book, the author clarifies the work of B F Skinner, and puts it into historical and philosophical context. Though not a biography, the book discusses Skinner himself, in brief. But the bulk of the book illuminats Skinner's contributions to psychology, his philosophy of science, his experimental research program (logical positivism) and the behavioral principles that emerged from it, and applied aspects of his work. It also rebuts criticism of Skinner's work, including radical behaviorism, and discusses key developments by others that have derived from it.

This book was first published in 1988. B. F. Skinner was arguably the most important and influential psychologist of the last century. Yet in his long and distinguished career he consistently declined to be engaged by his critics. In his ninth decade, he elected to confront them all: cognitivists, ethologists, brain scientists, biologists, linguists, and philosophers - close to one hundred and fifty scientists and scholars from the entire spectrum of behavior-related disciplines around the world. Skinner's views on consciousness, language, problem solving, evolution, biology, brain function, computers, theory and explanation, presented in six seminal papers, are analyzed, criticized and explained in the 'open peer commentary' format of the Behavioral and Brain Sciences journal. The result is a remarkably lucid and revealing historical record of Skinnerian thinking and its impact on psychology and its allied disciplines. General readers, students, professionals and historians will find this unique intellectual exchange an invaluable resource.

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.

The basic book about the controversial philosophy known as behaviorism, written by its leading exponent.

For students, teachers and curious minds, our carefully structured jargon-free series helps you really get to grips with brilliant intellectuals and their inherently complex theories. Written in an accessible and engaging way, each book takes you through the life and influences of these great thinkers, then takes a deep dive into three of their key theories in plain English. Smart thinking made easy! Who the Hell is B.F. Skinner? looks at the life and works of this highly influential American psychologist, behaviourist, social philosopher and inventor. A pioneer of modern behaviourism, Skinner founded a school of experimental research psychology and his work on behavioural conditioning altered the course of psychology and psychotherapy. Here we find out who this ingenious man really was, the influences on his thinking, and how he developed his groundbreaking ideas on operant conditioning and radical behaviourism. Reviews "BF Skinner was one of the best known and most controversial psychologists of his age and beyond. Who the Hell is B.F. Skinner? is an outstanding biography of the man and his theories, and is a must read for anybody interested in the history of psychology and its iconic theorists. It is well written, very informative and makes a significant contribution to the field of psychology." Professor Sir Cary Cooper, ALLIANCE Manchester Business School, University of Manchester "This book advertises itself as 'accessible', 'informative' and 'engaging' and it ticked all three boxes right from the very start. I wasn't sure what to expect from this text, but from the first page I was hooked and it didn't take me long to devour the first half with ease. The first chapter 'Skinner's Life Story' is absolutely fascinating and I'm embarrassed to admit I knew very little about him as a person and more so as a psychologist. This chapter delivers so much information and the links between some of his childhood experiences and his later well-known experiments are clearly evident. I got to know Skinner, or Fred as he was known to his friends and family. The chapter explores his relationships with his parents, brother, various friendships, teachers and gives insight into how his childhood influenced some of his later work. Chapters 2 and 3 cover influences on Skinner's thinking and operant conditioning, both equally engaging. However, I was most captivated by chapter 4 'Applications of Skinner's Work' which outlines some of his innovative creations. These included the Aircrib (a baby cot, of sorts) and his Teaching Machines, both inspired by his daughters. The final chapter 'Radical Behaviourism' is a little heavier as it discusses the differences between Watson's 'methodological behaviourism' and Skinner's radical behaviourism, misconceptions of radical behaviourism and links between Skinner and Darwin. Who is this relevant for? I'd say anyone interested in psychology. It references so many well-known points in history (and many personal ones for Skinner) which have influenced his life and work, from the early death of his younger brother, 'Project Pigeon', the influences of Watson & Rayner and Pavlov, World War II and his many publications on reinforcement and behaviourism. As an A level psychology student I would have loved it; it really is accessible and I shall be recommending it on the New Year reading list for our Year 12 and 13 students. I already have a short list of students I plan to offer it to on loan (with the obligatory quarantining of course!). If your department budget or school/college library can stretch to it then it's a worthwhile investment." Laura Quaife - Association for the Teaching of Psychology magazine, Feb 2021

B.F. Skinner died in August 1990. He had been praised as one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century, but was also attacked by a variety of opponents within and outside the field of psychology. This introduction to his work is first of all a guide to a correct reading of his writings, a reading devoid of the distortions and misinterpretations often conveyed by many commentators, including psychologists. It frames Skinner's contributions with reference to major European traditions in psychological sciences, namely Pavlov, Freud, Lorenz and Piaget. Crucial aspects of Skinner's theory and methodological stands are discussed in the context of contemporary debates: special attention is devoted to the relationship of psychology with biology and the neurosciences, to the cognitivist movement, to the status of language and to the explanation of novelty and creativity in human behaviour.; Finally, Skinner's social and political philosophy is presented with an emphasis on the provocative aspects of an analysis of current social practices which fail to solve most of the urgent problems humankind is confronted with today. Both in science proper and in human affairs at large, Skinner's thought is shown to be not behind, as is often claimed, but ahead of the times, be it in his interactive view of linguistic communication, in his very modern use of the evolutionary analogy to explain the dynamics of behaviour, or in his vision of ecological constraints.