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Because geniuses are often precocious.

Here's a critical review from Steven Pinker that criticizes the kind of reasoning Gladwell uses in this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/books/review/Pinker-t.htm...




Yes, but genius should be not synonym with exceptionally talented. Although anything useful including natural perseverance or optimism and motivation should be called a talent.

An idea can be called genius. Often it requires knowledge and experience and coincidence for a genius idea (innovative idea, wise idea, disruptive idea).

Often it requires many years of efforts to create or to discover something new or great or genius.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genius:

A genius is a person who displays exceptional intellectual ability, creative productivity, universality in genres or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of new advances in a domain of knowledge. Despite the presence of scholars in many subjects throughout history, many geniuses have shown high achievements in only a single kind of activity.[1]


Thank you, that was a great example of a critical review. I need to find my Igon Values.


"Readers have much to learn from Gladwell the journalist and essayist. But when it comes to Gladwell the social scientist, they should watch out for those igon values."

I didn't know Steven Pinker was tactful!




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