I'm reading The Genius In All of Us by David Shenk and as I do so, I've come upon some fascinatingly compelling evidence of this "genius." I found that right off the bat, Shenk asserts that he is not saying that everyone is a genius but just that we all have that potential. He also clings to his theory that talent as well as intelligence is not a thing but a process. I've believed this for the longest time and barely ever guessed that any sign for potential was a result of genetics. I was a Disney kid! I knew that you forge your own path and that your own abilities and talents are not based on your heritage. For example, my sister and I absolutely adore music and video games, but our parents were never particularly enthralled by the subjects. I've asserted that the fact that your parents are exceptional at the same thing you are is merely a coincidence and result of your environment. However, the irrefutable evidence Shenk provides makes me believe this fact of individual destiny more than ever. Even more, he displays evidence of true talent abundance. More prodigies are emerging, more stars and brilliant minds are blinking alight and beginning to glow within our fast-pace society. This deep, dense pool of genius is unlocking within our world, and Shenk theorizes that it may've been there the whole time.
For example, David Shenk uses the results from an experiment with rats to support his theory. Scientists took newborn rats from two distinct genetic strains: "Maze-bright" rats who had consistently performed well in mazes, and "Maze-dull" rats who had consistently done poorly in the same mazes. They then raised the distinct rats in three very different environments: The enriched environment, which featured a playful and supportive maze, a normal environment with ordinary features, and a restricted environment which held nothing but a food box and water pan. They expected the "duller" rats to perform more and more mistakes from the enriched to restricted environment, and the "brighter" rats to also make more errors but on a much smaller scale. However, shockingly to the scientists, under normal conditions the "brighter" rats consecutively outperformed the "duller" rats but when it came to the extreme environments, they performed virtually the same as the "Maze-dull" rats. Genetic differences virtually disappeared and both rats seem equally dumb. As the scientists Cooper and Zubek scratched their heads at the unpredictable occurrence, they failed to realize that this was not a test of genetics but rather the environmental strain they were put in since birth.
Using this evidence, many justifications dealing with talent and abilities can be made. As I observe this evidence I wonder about the kids in my classes. Did they take this class because they simply love English? Did they want to challenge themselves? Or was it the environment they were put in? How many kids' parents forced them into taking these classes? My parents, thankfully, have never pushed me to take such difficult course but I take them because of the excelled learning and challenge. I don't feel the same pressure and I guess you could say that the only reason I'm ripping my hair out is because of my own decisions of taking such courses. I'm happy enough with a B+ or maybe even with an A-, but what about you? Do you feel pressured because of your environment? Are we consistently having EDUCATION shoved into our faces daily, causing us to make a huge deal out of it? Is it just the environment?
Gladwell and Shenk's book seem to have some similarities. Both talk about how the environment a person is born into affects success (or in Shenk's case, genius). It would be interesting to read The Genius in All of Us and compare how it is similar and dissimilar to the Outliers.
ReplyDeleteI think that the environment we live in is influencing our decisions. For example, there is a lot of pressure on teenagers to get into a good four year university. Nowadays, it feels like our teachers, parents and friends are telling us that we need to get into a prestigious four year university or we will be flipping burgers at McDonald's for the rest of our lives. (My fourth grade teacher actually used this threat frequently to get us to do our homework!) Obviously, there is a broad spectrum of possible futures between college finisher and burger flipper (after all, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard!), but I feel like society says otherwise. I think this outside influence is partly why high school students spend four years of their lives trying to do all they can to get into a good college. Why do AP kids take AP classes? College. Why do we care about our grades? College. Why are we taking leadership positions in clubs even when we're busy enough as it is? Good for college apps! Why are we taking Spanish in the first place? College requirement. Obviously, it's not just our environment that leads us to make such decisions, but it's interesting to think about how environment does influence action.