The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.
— B. F. Skinner
Technology
Society attacks early, when the individual is helpless.
The strengthening of behavior which results from reinforcement is appropriately called "conditioning". In operant conditioning we "strengthen" an operant in the sense of making a response more probable or, in actual fact, more frequent.
Let men be happy, informed, skillful, well behaved, and productive.
Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.
We shouldn't teach great books; we should teach a love of reading. Knowing the contents of a few works of literature is a trivial achievement. Being inclined to go on reading is a great achievement.
The real question is not whether machines think but whether men do. The mystery which surrounds a thinking machine already surrounds a thinking man.
— B. F. Skinner
Philosophy
Ethical control may survive in small groups, but the control of the population as a whole must be delegated to specialists—to police, priests, owners, teachers, therapists, and so on, with their specialized reinforcers and their codified contingencies.
We admire people to the extent that we cannot explain what they do, and the word "admire" then means "marvel at."
— B. F. Skinner
Inspirational