A scientist may not be sure of the answer, but he’s often sure he can find one. And that’s a condition which is clearly not enjoyed by philosophy.
B. F. SKINNERIt is a surprising fact that those who object most violently to the manipulation of behaviour nevertheless make the most vigorous effort to manipulate minds.
More B. F. Skinner Quotes
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A person’s genetic endowment, a product of the evolution of the species, is said to explain part of the workings of his mind and his personal history the rest.
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A first principle not formally recognized by scientific methodologists: when you run into something interesting, drop everything else and study it.
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Men build society and society builds men.
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Behavior is determined by its consequences.
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When we say that a man controls himself, we must specify who is controlling whom.
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I may say that the only differences I expect to see revealed between the behavior of the rat and man (aside from enormous differences of complexity) lie in the field of verbal behavior.
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What is love except another name for the use of positive reinforcement? Or vice versa.
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The way positive reinforcement is carried out is more important than the amount.
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A child who has been severely punished for sex play is not necessarily less inclined to continue; and a man who has been imprisoned for violent assault is not necessarily less inclined toward violence.
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We are only just beginning to understand the power of love because we are just beginning to understand the weakness of force and aggression.
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I’ve often said that my rats have taught me much more than I’ve taught them.
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The speaker does not feel the grammatical rules he is said to apply in composing sentences, and men spoke grammatically for thousands of years before anyone knew there were rules.
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If the world is to save any part of its resources for the future, it must reduce not only consumption but the number of consumers.
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Was putting a man on the moon actually easier than improving education in our public schools?
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A person’s genetic endowment, a product of the evolution of the species, is said to explain part of the workings of his mind and his personal history the rest.
B. F. SKINNER