The world is full of smart people. But what do we mean by “smart” anyways? My refrigerator is smart because it has a screen on it. What about people? What makes a person “smart”? I’m not smart enough to know, but what I know for certain is my firm belief in anti-determinism, which is mostly shaped by Anders Ericsson’s excellent book on deliberate practice.
I believe anyone, regardless of “innate ability”, can be incredibly skilled at something if they try hard enough, for long enough (i.e. Malcom Gladwell’s 10,000 hours). Human adaptability is god’s greatest gift. In the long run for most cases, the amount of effortful practice trumps any initial advantage in intelligence or talent.
Furthermore, we live in such a multi-faceted world. I prefer to think we are all “smart” in something because we choose to dedicate our time in different things. Everyone has their unique set of proclivities and passions. Of course some skills are more financially desirable than others, perhaps disproportionately so. But I hesitate to think of the wholeness of life as a singular competition. What a dreadful, colorless world that would be. He might be a programming wiz, but maybe he can’t cook an egg without a fire extinguisher. She might have a PhD in machine learning and AI, but maybe she lacks the emotional intelligence to get along with team-members and manage relationships.
“A species in which everyone was General Patton would not succeed, any more than would a race in which everyone was Vincent van Gogh. I prefer to think that the planet needs athletes, philosophers, sex symbols, painters, scientists; it needs the warmhearted, the hardhearted, the coldhearted, and the weakhearted. It needs those who can devote their lives to studying how many droplets of water are secreted by the salivary glands of dogs under which circumstances, and it needs those who can capture the passing impression of cherry blossoms in a fourteen-syllable poem or devote twenty-five pages to the dissection of a small boy’s feelings as he lies in bed in the dark waiting for his mother to kiss him goodnight” - Susan Cain
No one knows everything about everything. No one person can make something as mundane as a pencil. Yet I am happy to report I just bought a dozen for $2 at Staples. The infinite complexity of our modern world only works because we rely on each other, and trust each other with our own unique skills and expertise.
I think I’ve come up with a good analogy for intelligence. Think of all your achievements and distinctions as distance from the starting line. Think of your skills in things like math, writing, programming, tennis as velocity. Lastly, think of how fast you are able to learn and improve those skills as acceleration.
With that framework in mind, I think We often mistake a person’s extraordinary skill (velocity) with talent (acceleration). But the truth is most people can drive fast if they press on the gas pedal long enough. Collectively, I think we should value “velocity” over “acceleration”, and not be so preoccupied with “distance”. (if that made any sense at all)
Growing up, I’ve never thought of myself as the smartest in the room (unless I was the only one in the room). Nowadays, I see myself as a Honda CR-V. Abysmal acceleration. A soccer-mom car. Even though I don’t have the quickest 0-to-60, I can still drive darn fast!