Dr. Thomas Blass wrote: > A Hungarian writer, Frigyes Karinthy , in an essay titled > "Chain-link", published in the 1920s, did suggest that any strangers > could be linked by a 5-person chain. Karinthy's essay was brought to > light by computer scientist Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, himself a > Hungarian, in his book "Linked". However , Milgram was not influenced > by Karinthy, and it is highly unlikely that he even knew about Karinthy.
Barabasi does not think it "highly unlikely" Milgram knew of Karinthy. He addresses the issue specifically (p. 37). He notes that Milgram's father was Hungarian, and that it would be quite unusual for Hungarian of that generation NOT to know about Karinthy. He was a literary star in Hungary. This does not amount to proof, but it puts the burden of proof back on the person who claims that Milgram would not have known of a figure who may seem "obscure"to us, but almost certainly was not to members of Milgram's immediate family. Best, Chris -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ "Part of respecting another person is taking the time to criticise his or her views." - Melissa Lane, in a /Guardian/ obituary for philosopher Peter Lipton ================================= --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
