Watching TV Makes You Smarter?

Steven Johnson tries to make this counter-intuitive argument in an upcoming book Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter, excerpted over the weekend in New York Times Magazine. His thesis? Many shows today weave several intricate plot lines and include a heavy dose of mostly accurate technical information from their settings in governmental affairs, crime investigation, etc. He wants to say today's TV makes you smarter. Dana Stevens isn't convinced...