Stimulus and Response: a conversation with B.F. Skinner

Stimulus and Response: a conversation with B.F. Skinner

An excerpt from the interview collection ENCOUNTERS WITH AUTHORS (now available in paperback and Kindle):<br /><br />* "Stimulus and Response: a conversation with B. F. Skinner"<br />The noted psychologist explains how his theories of human behavior apply to creative writing and expresses his concerns about the future of society.<br /><br />"We act today because of what will happen a week, month or year from now. As a general rule, the more remote the future, the less likely we are to follow the advice (to save the future)... Why should we not make current consequences contingent on behavior with a favorable effect on the future? ... The argument that we have always saved ourselves in the past will not work. It is like reassuring a dying man by reminding him that he has always recovered from his illnesses in the past. This time, the world may be fatally ill."