Misunderstandings
About Los Horcones
People may misunderstand Los Horcones. Many factors can contribute, among them are:
a) The science of behavior and radical behaviorism in which Los Horcones is based, have been widely misunderstood. See Misunderstandings about Behavior Analysis and Radical Behaviorism.
b) Communal living has also been misunderstood.
c) The novel Walden Two has been misunderstood. See Walden Two.
d) People in general find it difficult to live in a group where the common good is a priority, where criticizing without trying to solve the problems is not promoted, where cooperation instead of competition and equality instead of inequality are encouraged. This difficulty of living in a communal environment makes more likely misinterpreting Los Horcones. Generally, something that is new and different from the traditional, is very likely to be misunderstood.
Ethnocentric behavior: Is believing that only our way of life is normal or correct.
Some words already have a negative connotation and shape unfavorable attitudes towards what they describe. For example, the term "communal living" has been associated with escapism, irresponsibility, drugs and orgies (although these associations were more frequent in the 60's and 70's than in the 90's). The word "behaviorism" has been commonly associated with manipulation, despotic control of human behavior. "Walden Two" is confused with Huxley "happy world." Even the word "Horcones*" in Spanish is misunderstood with "stranglers", because in Spanish "stranglers" is "ahorcones" which sounds very closely to "Horcones."
*Horcones means wood pillars (bifurcated tree trunks). Horcones are characteristic of our architecture.
Sometimes when we want to see something and it is not there, we create it.
The most frequent misunderstandings about Los Horcones are:
1. It is a community formed by people who escaped from the society instead of acting to solve its problems.
- The members of Los Horcones are not escaping from society. We are trying to build a new society, one that assures people get along well, help each other, seek the common good and respect with another beliefs. Los Horcones was founded precisely as a solution to social problems. We believe that a communitarian society can solve the serious personal and social problems we face today. We believe that in order to start this society we need to build a pilot communitarian society where we can scientifically study how to design it. Los Horcones is a pilot experiment with giving us the data we need to establish a larger scale communitarian society. If you want to know more about this pilot social experiment you can read some of our article:
- Pilot Walden Two experiments: Beginnings of a planned society. Behaviorists for Social Action Journal, 1982, 3, 25-29.
Please consider that this article was written in 1982. If we wrote it today we would make a lot of changes.
2. This is a community formed by people who want violently end with institutions.
- Our social change strategy is not to raise arms, make revolts or to preach about changing the society. It is showing here and now an example of a better society. See our article:
- Walden Two and Social Change: The Application of Behavior Analysis to Cultural Design. Behavior Analysis and Social Action, 1989, 7, No. 1&2, 35-41.
It would be nice if all those who claim to have "social awareness" and want to change society, would give an example of a type of society they believe is better. Examples certainly teach more than thousands of words.
3. Los Horcones is formed by strange people who use drugs and have rites.
- Drugs are not allowed in Los Horcones. Even members who smoke tobacco gradually stop smoking.
- We do not have any rite or religious ceremony. Each member can have their own religious beliefs. Los Horcones is not a sect. See Religion.
4. Los Horcones is a religious community.
- Religious beliefs are allowed and respected. We are not a religious community in the sense that all the members must convert to a particular religion.
5. Los Horcones is an anti-religious community.
- We are not against religion if it promotes the values of cooperation, mutual help and respect, sharing and non-violence (most religions promote these values). Los Horcones is an alternative society, and as such is integrated by a people who may have different beliefs. Religious tolerance is promoted in Los Horcones. Religious competition or criticizing others' religions is not allowed.
6. It is a polygamous community.
- Los Horcones encourages and respects monogamy. However the sexual behavior of its members is a private matter and respected as such. Mutual affection is promoted.
7. In Los Horcones the family is destroyed.
- Family is not abolished or destroyed in Los Horcones, on the contrary, it is extended to more members. We have an enlarged family that embraces all members disregarding biological ties. When a family joins the community, the children are not taken away from their parents. See Family
8. It is an anti-democratic community.
- We are not against democracy. We propose a form of democracy that takes into consideration every single person and not just the majority. See Personocracy
- We are promoting a communitarian government. We the people can manage our own communities. Personocracy is a government of the people, by the people, for the people as individual persons not as a majority.
9. Los Horcones is based in a behaviorist philosophy that states that people are machines without feelings and without dignity and freedom.
- Behaviorism is humanism. It considers each individual as a unique being who deserves respect and help to become a better person. People are not machines who respond to stimuli, we can change the environment and it can change us. The science of behavior allow us to know ourselves better and in this way enables us to act more effectively. See Radical Behaviorism
B. F. Skinner, 1968. p.170
We are neither communist nor socialist. We are a community which takes into account data derived from a science of behavior, not the personal ideas of philosophers or social reformers.
11. Los Horcones is anarchistic, it is against government.
We have an organizational system called Personocracy. We are not against government but rather we want to offer an alternative form of government more centered on people than on institutions.
12. Los Horcones just follows the ideas of B. F. Skinner, Skinner its their guru.
- What Skinner discovered about human behavior after studying it over 50 years, are not his "ideas", but facts about human behavior.
- Los Horcones do not follow Skinner's ideas, but it is designed based on the facts about human behavior that have been discovered by Skinner, and other behaviorists including ourselves.
13. Los Horcones is inspired by the novel Walden Two.
- We are not inspired by a novel but by a science and a philosophy. See Walden Two
14. In Los Horcones children are isolated from the rest of society.
Our children have always been in contact with the outside society, they have friends there and travel around this and other countries. They do not live inside a crystal dome.
15.Los Horcones is a primitive society against technology.
Los Horcones is against the misuse of technology, not against technology. A sample is this internet home page.
16. Los Horcones is a community of people with psychological problems.
-It is relative. We do not consider ourselves psychologically sicker or healthier than most people living outside Los Horcones.
- One of our activities is to help children and sometimes adults with psychological problems.
17. Los Horcones is a closed community.
No, we just want people who join are really committed. We are not interested in growing with people who just pass by the community, use the community to learn new skills, make contacts with other people from whom they can benefit or use the community as a hotel.
Unfortunately many communities are formed by groups of people who do not genuinely live in community but who merely live in the same place.
18. The members think Los Horcones is an ideal community.
No. We have a lot of problems, challenges and we need to learn a lot. We are looking for an ideal community but we do not yet have it.
19. When somebody joins Los Horcones he/she can never get out.
Los Horcones is not a prison, it is a place to live satisfactorily. People are here because they are convinced, not because they are forced. Anyone can leave Los Horcones when they wish.
20. Los Horcones does not allow another philosophy except behaviorism.
Any philosophy that helps us to be better people, (more communitarian), is accepted by Los Horcones, even if it is not behaviorism.
21. People are exploited in Los Horcones.
Los Horcones is a legally established cooperative association. The material goods that are shared belong to the coop. Money is used according to the needs of each member.
To work for a common good, for everybody's benefit is not the same as exploiting people.
22. Everything said by Los Horcones is a lie.
It is sad to see how some of our visitors arrive at this conclusion. Perhaps the problem is that they expected a finished Walden Two where they can enjoy an ideal community of ideal people.
Despite the fact that in this web page we insist on the contrary, it seems that we have to say it again here: Los Horcones is not an ideal community of ideal people. We invite people to help build an ideal community and not just to come and criticize our mistakes.
In general people who say that Los Horcones is a lie are people who were unable to adapt to our way of life. They were unable to understand that people can cooperate for the common good and learn that the common good is their own individual good.
If you have heard another misunderstanding about Los Horcones please tell us about it to so we can include it here.
One of the saddest things we have experienced during our 25 years is to open Los Horcones (home of those of us who live there) to people who take advantage of what we have done, in the sense of using the community merely to achieve their own individualistic goals. For example: learning a skill to use them for their personal benefit outside Los Horcones, contacting people to get jobs outside the community, etc.
A culture is not what you observe.
Los Horcones is not what you observe by visiting a few days and months. If you do not change the way you see us, if you have an ethnocentric view, is very likely that you see Los Horcones as a lie. You will see what you want to see.
Suppose that I go and visit you. The day I arrive at your home its your day off so when I leave your house in the evening I conclude that you are lazy and do not like to work.
Now suppose that I visit you on your most busy day and I conclude that all you do is work. Or if I arrive a day when you are discussing Buddhism with some friends and I conclude you are Buddhist. Or the day I visit you, there is nobody else at home and I conclude that you have no friends.
This is what happens frequently at Los Horcones. People frequently come and spend a few days or months and conclude they know what we have done for 25 years.
1. Should I give all my possessions to the community? Does the community take away my possessions when I join?
No. You just donate or lend what you want.
2. Are illegal drugs allowed?
No.
3. Is marriage respected?
Yes.
4. Do I have to sleep with every body or share my partner with others?
Of course not.
5. Do community members only marry other community members?
No. They can marry whoever they want.
6. Are children taken away from their parents?
No.
7. Are children isolated?
No.
8. Is the community anti-religious?
No. See Religion
10. Is the novel Walden Two your guide?
No. It is not appropriate to base a society on a novel. This is why we do not believe that communities inspired by the novel Walden Two, are real Walden Two communities. See Walden Two.
11. Is B.F. Skinner your guru?
No. Skinner was our friend and we loved him dearly, but we never considered him as a guru or leader. See B.F. Skinner
12. Do the members of Los Horcones believe they live in an ideal community?
No. There are still a lot of things to do and to improve. We invited you to help in building a communitarian society here and now.
Last up-date: 2001
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