Mills On Utopia In Walden Ii

In Walden II, BF Skinner, tries to implement Utopia by conditioning the behavior of its residents. The community members are unaware of the effect of the social environment on their behavior and are generally happy with their lives. I think mills would have strongly opposed such a community because it has no individuality or freedom. Mills was a strong advocate of individual freedom which leads to the development of the best capabilities in humans. He believed society should be dedicated to developing individuality and independence of thought in each person. He says "He who lets the world . . . choose his plan of life for him, has no need of any other faculty than the ape-like one of imitation. He who chooses his plan for himself, employs all his faculties. He must use observation to see, reasoning and judgment to foresee . . .discrimination to decide. . . ." (pg 71).

Mills believed that every person should develop his own opinion even if its not a desirable one. The only limit he puts on individual opinion is when it begins to interfere with the opinion of others. In this case, however, mills would dismiss this experiment because not only does it impose the opinion of the experimenter on the subjects but also deprives the subject of their individual freedom. H e talks about this in the beginning of chapter three where he says " As it is useful that while mankind are imperfect there should be different opinions, so it is that there should be different experiments of living ; that free scope should be given to varieties of character, short of injury of othersÐ'.... In short, that in things which do not primarily concern others individuality should assert itself " (pg 68).

Mills did not deny that the advice given by the experience has no worth. He said that the individual can learn from the experience gained by the others but " it is the privilege and proper condition of a human being arrived at the maturity of his facilities to use and interpret experience in his own way"(pg 70). Mills believed that it is up to an individual to select which part of experience/advice he likes the most and decide if he wants to apply to his life or not. He said that it is not possible for someone else to decide that which custom or trait another individual should develop because everyone has a different character.

Mills emphasizes the need for character development in individuals. He does not mind if such encouragement leads to good or evil. According to mills men act evil because their consciences are weak not because their personal desires (pg 73). Some people might infer from Walden II