We do not choose survival as a value, it chooses us.
B. F. SkinnerRead
The ideal of behaviorism is to eliminate coercion: to apply controls by changing the environment in such a way as to reinforce the kind of behavior that benefits everyone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Behaviorism aims to promote beneficial actions by modifying environmental factors rather than using force.
This quote by B. F. Skinner emphasizes the fundamental goal of behaviorism, which is to foster positive behaviors in individuals through environmental adjustments instead of coercive methods. Skinner advocates for a system where behavior is shaped by rewards and reinforcement, creating a framework that supports collective well-being.
Themes
BehaviorismCoercionEnvironmentReinforcementBenefit
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a psychology lecture to illustrate behavior modification techniques.
More from B. F. Skinner
All quotes βEach of us has interests which conflict the interests of everybody else... 'everybody else' we call 'society'. It's a powerful opponent and it always wins. Oh, here and there an individual prevails for a while and gets what he wants. Sometimes he storms the culture of a society and changes it to his own advantage. But society wins in the long run, for it has the advantage of numbers and of age.
B. F. SkinnerRead
No theory changes what it is a theory about; man remains what he has always been.
B. F. SkinnerRead
I am opposed to the military use of animals. I am also opposed to the military use of men.
B. F. SkinnerRead
Unable to understand how or why the person we see behaves as he does, we attribute his behavior to a person we cannot see, whose behavior we cannot explain either but about whom we are not inclined to ask questions.
B. F. SkinnerRead
Fame is also won at the expense of others. Even the well-deserved honors of the scientist or man of learning are unfair to many persons of equal achievements who get none. When one man gets a place in the sun, the others are put in a denser shade. From the point of view of the whole group there's no gain whatsoever, and perhaps a loss.
B. F. SkinnerRead
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