Walden two: A República de Skinner?

The epistemological differences between Skinner and Plato are widely recognized. However, in the political scope, Skinner seems to get closer to Plato, even mentioning Republic as an inspiration for Walden two. Based on that affinity, this article aims to explain political similarities between Walden two and Republic. To avoid an anachronism with the term politics, in comparison of two works so different in time and cultural context, discussions are based on Aristotle’s systematic proposal. According to that proposal, the political field involves at least: i) forms of government; ii) the characteristics of the governed population, and iii) the mechanisms used to prevent the government from degenerating. Following these points, it is possible to conclude that Walden two’s political proposal converges with the Platonic one, mainly concerning the adoption of an aristocracy. Despite that affinity, Skinner’s argument of justifying a techno-scientific aristocracy faces problems absent in Republic. That calls into question Walden two’s coherence with some of the philosophical assumptions of Radical Behaviorism. Keywords: Walden two, Republic, Politics, Utopia.