If he lived in different times and had said, "People in general do not 
willingly watch TV if they can have anything else to amuse them.", would 
we say this was (1) an observation about people being reluctant to watch 
TV, or (2) an observation about a collective rational response to the 
low quality of TV?

C.

Pamela McCorduck wrote:
> I think the quote is mine (this week).  It comes from that great 18th 
> century London dictionary compiler and writer, Samuel Johnson.  It 
> amused me to think that people were complaining about the reluctance 
> to read as early as that.
>
> P.
>
>>
>>
>>     Recent posts included a quote - something to effect that we don't
>>     read if we have anything better to amuse ourselves with. I was
>>     reading A New Kind of Science this morning. I rest my case.
>>      
>>     Peggy Miller
>>
>> ============================================================
>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
>> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
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>
>
>
> "People in general do not willingly read if they can have anything 
> else to amuse them."
>
> Dr. Samuel Johnson 
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ============================================================
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

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