In the traditional view a person is free. He is autonomous in the sense that his behavior is uncaused.
That view, together with its associated practices, must be re-examined when a scientific analysis reveals unexpected controlling relations between behavior and environment. By questioning the control exercised by autonomous man and demonstrating the control exercised by the environment, a science of behavior also seems to question dignity or worth.
A person is responsible for his behavior, not only in the sense that he may be justly blamed or punished when he behaves badly, but also in the sense that he is to be given credit and admired for his achievements.
A scientific analysis shifts the credit as well as the blame to the environment, and traditional practices can then no longer be justified. (These are sweeping changes, and those who are committed to traditional theories and practices naturally resist them.)
As the emphasis shifts to the environment, the individual seems to be exposed to a new kind of danger: who is to construct the controlling environment, and to what end?
Autonomous man presumably controls himself in accordance with a built-in set of values; he works for what he finds “good”. But what will the putative controller find “good”, and will it be good for those he controls?
-- B.F. Skinner, 1971
You might enjoy this portion of a video I made about the videogame The Witness, where I analyze the above quote in the context of themes of free will and how we should think about ideally structuring society, knowing about the systems of social control and prediction that you describe. In the portion of the video I linked, I first discuss a contrasting quote by Douglas Hofstadter, then I play the above Skinner quote, and then I try to analyze the conflict between an individual-centered versus top-down social-theory-centered view of the world. But ultimately, there must be a way of merging both views, since we know that societal influences are powerful but we also know that individuals are capable of making thoughtful choices based on reasoned deliberation and moral principles.
You might enjoy this portion of a video I made about the videogame The Witness, where I analyze the above quote in the context of themes of free will and how we should think about ideally structuring society, knowing about the systems of social control and prediction that you describe. In the portion of the video I linked, I first discuss a contrasting quote by Douglas Hofstadter, then I play the above Skinner quote, and then I try to analyze the conflict between an individual-centered versus top-down social-theory-centered view of the world. But ultimately, there must be a way of merging both views, since we know that societal influences are powerful but we also know that individuals are capable of making thoughtful choices based on reasoned deliberation and moral principles.