B. F. Skinner

Born 20 March 1904 in Susquehanna, PA (US), B. F. Skinner made substantial contributions to our understanding of human behavior. Although his scientific contributions are substantial, I find his philosophical arguments for radical behaviorism even more important. I fear that his recommendations that people use scientific understanding of human behavior to overcome social ills such as war are dismissed too readily. He rejected coercion and punishment as the means of controlling human behavior and advocated humane use of reinforcement in their place.

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