![]() ![]() Here it’s would-be hard-headed conservatives arguing that intellectual greatness comes from genetics and the accidents of birth and demanding we “accept” this “unpleasant truth”.Īnd it’s would-be compassionate progressives who are insisting that no, it depends on who works harder, claiming anybody can be brilliant if they really try, warning us not to “stigmatize” the less intelligent as “genetically inferior”. Attributing them to who works harder and who’s “really trying” can stigmatize people who end up with bad outcomes and is generally viewed as Not A Nice Thing To Do.Īnd the weird thing, the thing I’ve never understood, is that intellectual achievement is the one domain that breaks this pattern. The obvious pattern is that attributing outcomes to things like genes, biology, and accidents of birth is kind and sympathetic. ![]() I’m oversimplifying things, but again the compassionate/sympathetic/progressive side of the debate – and the side endorsed by many of the poor themselves – is supposed to be that success is due to accidents of birth, and the less compassionate side is that success depends on hard work and perseverance and grit and willpower. Then a liberal (or straw liberal) protests that hard work has nothing to do with it, success is determined by accidents of birth like who your parents are and what your skin color is et cetera, so the poor are blameless in their own predicament. There are frequent political debates in which conservatives (or straw conservatives) argue that financial success is the result of hard work, so poor people are just too lazy to get out of poverty. Experiences like these make clear the division between talent and effort, but they're not always easy to share with others. Scott has special insight into this question as consequence of a musically talented brother (who quickly surpassed Scott to become a piano prodigy and professional musician) and of having struggled with math despite being very bright. Like many of his excellent posts, this one has received hundreds of thoughtful comments. Scott Alexander writes about ability, effort, and achievement at his blog Slate Star Codex.
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