Pauk Brandon commented that Skinner objected to the idea of behavior without a cause.My read on Skinner is that he emphasized that all behavior had consequences and the idea of freedom implied that there were no consequences. An important aspect of Skinner's work is that those consequences in turn control behavior and that those who dish out reinforcers control behavior. Actually political independence-as in the case of Myanmar- can be construed as meaning that reinforcers have passed from the Brits to the nationals.The problem here is that as controls move away from the Brits to the Myanmarians,consequences are no longer regulated and hence chaos(Ironically,this state of affairs is viewed as freedom) I am mindful of many countries that went haywire when the Brits or colonial powers loosen the controls of civility. I think that Skinner also posed the question of whether we should be controlled by the government,State,or by ourselves. The current situation in the U.S re the economy can be viewed from the perspective that some forms of freedom of controls can have disastrous consequences.
Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
