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I've known some people with serious artistic talent. Even if they didn't like it. It seems to be inherited. A friend who was a good graphics artist (drawings in

I've known some people with serious artistic talent. Even if they didn't like it. It seems to be inherited. A friend who was a good graphics artist (drawings in Smithsonian) has a son and a daughter. The daughter can draw well, but doesn't use the skill much. The son grew up drawing cars, and now he draws car designs for a major car company. For both of them, it wasn't all that hard. One unusual skill is the military "coup d'œil". This is the skill of looking at a battlefield and maps, and knowing what to do to win. Some commanders have this, and some don't. Bolger, in his "The Panzer Killers", comments on which WWII generals had it and who didn't. (Bolger is a modern US general who has commanded tank units in combat, so he has experience with this.) This seems to be a skill that does not come from training and experience - either you have it or you don't. The US Army tries to understand this.[1] This writer claims it is a trainable skill, but the training required is long. You have to fight a lot of battles, real or simulated. Even then it may just be bringing out the ones who have the innate talent. There aren't that many good generals. Each generation has only a few greats - Giap, Patton, people like that. [1] https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/English-Edition-Archives/March-April-2023/Lythgoe/ https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/Eng...

ItsHarper 1y ago
I wonder how much of it is inheritance, and how much of it is the parent giving their child lots of opportunity to explore their interest with them
- BinaryIgor 1y ago
  Most likely both :)
- Animats 1y ago
  It surprised the mother that her kids had artistic talent. She put no effort into teaching them art skills. She wasn't doing it professionally any more, being somewhat burned out by all that fine detail work. They got into art by themselves.
senthil_rajasek 1y ago
"coup d'œil" reminded me of this book, Napoleon's Glance: The Secret of Strategy by William R Duggan It discusses ideas similar to the ideas in the link you posted.
- Animats 1y ago
  Yes, Napoleon is said to have had it. Clausewitz describes it, too. It's a well known military concept. Whether it's teachable remains a big question.

ItsHarper 1y ago

I wonder how much of it is inheritance, and how much of it is the parent giving their child lots of opportunity to explore their interest with them

BinaryIgor 1y ago
Most likely both :)
Animats 1y ago
It surprised the mother that her kids had artistic talent. She put no effort into teaching them art skills. She wasn't doing it professionally any more, being somewhat burned out by all that fine detail work. They got into art by themselves.

senthil_rajasek 1y ago

"coup d'œil" reminded me of this book, Napoleon's Glance: The Secret of Strategy by William R Duggan It discusses ideas similar to the ideas in the link you posted.

Animats 1y ago
Yes, Napoleon is said to have had it. Clausewitz describes it, too. It's a well known military concept. Whether it's teachable remains a big question.