I agree wholeheartedly with logician; Hashem created a system where we begin our journey towards Him through fear of punishment and desire for reward. This is not only healthy, but incorporates a deep seated base existence that each of us has. we have an animal element, and a neshoma…a nefesh bahamis and sichlis. It is arrogance to say that we’re “above” schar veonesh and only want to do mitzvos lishma, as the kotzker rebbe said “yirah without ahavah is missing in shlaimua, but ahavah without yirah is nothing”. Motivation may come and go, but it is fear of punishment that never will fall to prompt a person to do the right thing and refrain from that which is forbidden.
I agree that positive/negative reinforcement and conditioning are tools that we use with animals – i disagree that they are primitive, because part of us is animalistic in nature and requires taming. Self styled intellectuals who feel that such concepts are insults perhaps have not grappled with powerful urges…maybe they dress up these passions in pseudo sophistry and become wine connoisseurs instead of mere drunkards, lehavdil “romantics” instead of philanderers, etc… All the while never addressing their animal instincts and the need to control them, and to ultimately convert them into drives for avodas Hashem.
Antitgonus clearly meant that if that is one’s sole motivation, it is lacking, but not that it isn’t necessary as a starting point.