Biglan, A., Zettle, R. D., Hayes, S. C., & Barnes‐Holmes, D. (2016). The Future of the Human Sciences and Society. The Wiley Handbook of Contextual Behavioral Science, 531-540.
This chapter describes some of the developments that may emerge if the findings and methods of the contextual behavioral science (CBS) movement continue to make significant progress and influence the human sciences in general over the next half century. It then considers how research and practice of the contextual behavioral science community might influence the further evolution of society. CBS is situated in an evolutionary framework that treats human phenomena in terms of evolution from genetic and epigenetic to the behavioral, symbolic, and cultural domains. The concept of the relational frame (as a relational operant) was pivotal in establishing a core unit of analysis, and a great deal has been achieved with that central concept over the past 25 years. The history of humanity suggests that scientific knowledge, over time, has a net positive effect on human well-being.