Malcolm Gladwell – Is Talent That Important?
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Is talent that important? Malcolm Gladwell believes that ten thousand hours of practice can make anyone a professional; while others believe âgeniuses are born not madeâ. Because of the insufficient supports provided by â10,000 Hoursâ, and a personal experience of learning drum, âgeniuses are born not madeâ seems more convincing.
Gladwell concluded that â10,000 hours practice equal excellentâ through Ericssonâs experiment. However, in his article, he also admitted, âIs there such a thing as innately talent? The obvious answer is yes.â This means there might be some other factors that affect a personâs lay of success. The âstarâ groupâs violinists might be all have talents. Also, there is no clear classification of âprofessional violinistâ. There might be someone who do not have talents but still âhave potential to become world-class soloistâ through long-time practice, but is this kind of violinists had as large possibility as the talented violinists who also practice more than ten thousand hours? The jury is still out.
A large amount of practice can make a good player, but does not always create an excellent player. There are some things people cannot learn from practicing. For instance, a drum teacher referenced something called âfeeling of musicâ, a special skill that people are born with. Some people have great rhythm and others do not. If someone has a âfeeling of musicâ, it will be easier to learn drums; however, if he cannot keep the beat, then his talent will not grow. If someone does not have a âfeeling of musicâ, they cannot make up for it with practice; they can never be as professional as the drummer who has natural ability and also practices hard. Therefore, âgeniuses are born not madeâ, special talent requires something that is innate, instead of acquired.
Gladwellâs mis-conclude from Ericssonâs experiment, and the fact that there are gifts from birth for everyone explained