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There is a contingent of users on HN who reject the degree to which inborn talents contribute to human abilities. People vary a lot in how well they absorb info

There is a contingent of users on HN who reject the degree to which inborn talents contribute to human abilities. People vary a lot in how well they absorb information and communicate effectively with others. It's silly to claim that forcing children to go to school creates these abilities where they don't exist. The explanation that some children simply mature into adult-like abilities with age and others do not requires a lot fewer hypotheticals.

mlyle 5y ago
There's lots of human variation, sure. That hardly proves that education doesn't work or that the same skills would be acquired otherwise. I can hardly imagine that we'd reach the same literacy rate without an education system. Practice under instructor guidance helps. I teach robotics and other STEM classes. The robotics league that my teams participate in measures teams with both objective and subjective measures: presentation skills matter. Over a term, I see the less technically students develop a lot of hands-on knowledge about mechanics, electronics, and problem solving. I see the one who are already technically inclined build a lot of presentation and communication skills. And everyone learns a lot more about project management and organization. There's a massive apparent difference in abilities at the end of the term and the beginning.