You have a point, but I think it is a useful distinction when it comes to work. Talent and skill (while affected by things out of an individual's control) set t

You have a point, but I think it is a useful distinction when it comes to work. Talent and skill (while affected by things out of an individual's control) set the baseline of what you are able to accomplish/your potential. Luck plays a bigger role in whether or not you get the opportunity to use and/or grow those skills/talents. Think about manufacturing a 2.6GHz processor. Many of them come out of the line unable to reach 2.6GHz, some come out to 2.6, and some can even achieve greater speeds. That is your talent/skill (which is predisposed on your luck during the manufacturing process). The processor has no control where it ends up (though the QC process will have some effect), it could end up in a scientific computing cluster where it continually works on complicated problems. Or it could end up in a soccer mom's PC where it is used for email and light web browsing. This is an imperfect analogy as a processor is not a biological medium so they degrade, whereas a biological medium would more likely improve/strengthen when stressed. So while there is luck in creating talent/skill/potential, there is still a need for distinction between luck and the talent you are born with.