Yesterday over lunch I was catching up on my readings for the class I’m TF’ing — HIST 123: Cultures and Histories of the Mind — and one of the assigned articles centered on evidences for Baconian influences in a utopian fantasy, Walden Two, written by noted 20th-century psychologist Burrhus Frederic Skinner. I had never heard of it, but figured that it would be on Google books.

Sure enough, it was, and so I decided to read a bit of it. I’m considering having my students read Chapter 5 for discussion section on Thursday; it’s only six short pages long. Perhaps I’ll have them analyze Skinner’s intent and also consider some how a similar scene would be written today and what present-day utopian ideals and goals would undergird it. I’ll have to clear that with Jamie tomorrow when we meet over coffee to hammer out section.