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2014 article, and the pushback on Gladwell's book began almost as soon as it came out. I think there is a certain level of misunderstanding the argument he make
by yborg 10y ago
2014 article, and the pushback on Gladwell's book began almost as soon as it came out. I think there is a certain level of misunderstanding the argument he makes, in that it is assumed that the person engaging in the practice meets the minimum requirements for the activity. If you can't amass enough muscle mass, no amount of practice will make you into an NFL lineman. The problem is that in more complex activities or in areas of aesthetics like the arts, what the required level of talent to attain a high level is hard to quantify or recognize.
- venomsnake 10y ago10 000 hours of serious lifting will make you like a brick wall.
- Marazan 10y agoMatthew Seyd (the Author of Bounce: The Myth of Talent) absolutely makes the argument that there is not minimum requirements for an activity by denying any form of genetic predisposition (or 'talent') for any activity. He puts skill at any activity, from 100m sprinting to fine arts, down purely to practice and does some amazing logical fallacies to get there.
- ktRolster 10y agoHe puts skill at any activity, from 100m sprinting to fine arts, down purely to practice and does some amazing logical fallacies to get there. How does he deal with the fact that certain body types are more conducive to sprinting? Or does he just ignore that altogether?
- goatlover 10y agoYeah, because there's literally nothing 99.99% of people on Earth can do to get them close to Usain Bolt's physical advantages as a sprinter. Sure, he had to work hard to maximize his ability, but that work plus his freakish body means smashing 100 and 200 meter records.
- ktRolster 10y agoThat's a thought worth discussing, but you didn't answer the question at all.