The Myth of Innate Genius: David Shenk's New Book, The Genius in All Of Us
From Michael Jordan playing JV to Mozart's dismal early compositions to Usain Bolt's so-called sprinting gene, David Shenk says that geniuses are made not born—and asks why we still believe in the myth.
For all the unpleasant noise in Amy Chua's Tiger Mom roar, she's spot on about one very big thing: Children do have enormous potential. The concept of innate talent is simply wrong; our brains and bodies are designed to adapt to environmental conditions.