There is no talent

#1

Post by judofyr » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 2:27 PM UTC

Re: There is no talent

#2

Post by thebooktocome » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 2:50 PM UTC

I think this goes triple for mathematics. When people say that I'm good at math, I sometimes tell them, "Well, you know, I've been studying math and little else for the majority of the past ten years. Almost anyone who works at something that long eventually gets the hang of it."

Re: There is no talent

#3

Post by pmichaud » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 2:56 PM UTC

I think some people do have predispositions toward certain classes of activity, but I think the message is right on: you get good by working, and working, and working.

Re: There is no talent

#4

Post by antareus » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 2:59 PM UTC

I think natural talent exists, and it manifests itself as an ability to know where to direct your focus when learning something new. Someone who lives in their head a lot may fare better at programming initially, for example. They're used to talking through things in their head.

But eventually the natural talent can't carry you any farther.

Re: There is no talent

#5

Post by bd » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 3:00 PM UTC

results = talent x effort

Re: There is no talent

#6

Post by alexwestholm » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 3:01 PM UTC

This is exactly why smart people can sometimes be surpassed by their intellectual inferiors in fields that they don't care about.

Re: There is no talent

#7

Post by bennyk » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 3:02 PM UTC

pmichaud wrote: post #3

I think some people do have predispositions toward certain classes of activity, but I think the message is right on: you get good by working, and working, and working.

Some people have a natural way of seeing things but like a muscle it only gets stronger with repetitive use.

Re: There is no talent

#8

Post by maguay » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 3:03 PM UTC

bd wrote: post #5

results = talent x effort

Or maybe, in the line of thinking in this essay:

results = effort x time

Re: There is no talent

#9

Post by emehrkay » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 3:03 PM UTC

I've been making this argument for years, its funny how many people just flat out dont agree with it. My stance is that there is no talent, just understanding and without physical limitations, anything could be understood by anyone.

I first came to this conclusion in art class when I was about 15. A girl asked me to draw a traffic light for her (I am a pretty decent artist) and I said no, but explained how to do it and she did a pretty damn good job at it.

I feel that if you ask anyone who is talented at anything, they may have to border having a passion for it, they'll be able to explain the how to you.

I tell my son this very thing and I feel that he approaches problems differently than if I told him "oh, that's a god-given talent, I dont know if you can do it."

Re: There is no talent

#10

Post by jameskilton » Sun, Dec 05, 2010, 3:07 PM UTC

100% disagree. I could try my entire life and I will never be able to sing like Josh Groban, or compose music like Mozart, or win the Iron Man Strongest Man competition, or beat Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France.

Yes, a LOT of success comes from effort, but to say that talent doesn't exist is absurd. People who have a talent in a given field, AND work with and hone that talent will always do better than people without talents that try to get into a field they aren't fit for.