"truly outstanding skill in any domain is rarely achieved in less than ten thousand hours of practice over ten years' time" (70).
While Shenk asserts that no talent or ability is innate and that talent is a product of persistence, overwhelming motivation, and a dialogue of environment and gene., there are many biological processes that seem to be innate, that require no practice at all. Some species of fish, when born, know where to swim and take the exact same paths as their parents, though they have never met them. Breathing is an automatic response, as are so many other things needed for survival. What is the difference between these skills and other talents/abilites? Include a discussion of evolution and current human biology and progression. Bring examples from the natural world and human society to back up your argument.
Emily Reinherz...ereinherz@aol.com
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ReplyDeleteAccording to renowned author David Shenk, talent and ability is not innate and it is "a process" (7). It is created, not something one is born with. When failing at a particular task, "the worst kind of blame...is on one's own biology" (123). Failure is due to a lack of motivation and ambition, rather than one's own genetics. Success is 90% perspiration, and 10% inspiration. It takes "years and years and years" of hard work and practice to achieve (120). Success is not innate.
ReplyDeleteYet, some functions and processes are innate. Innate behavior is behavior that is "developmentally fixed" in a certain way (Campbell 1125). Human breathing is an innate behavior, as are so many other things needed for survival. However, these innate processes are all those that an organism needs to survive and reproduce. These innate behaviors are different than certain talents and abilities because talents and abilities are not essential for the organism to survive.
Organisms have evolved over time, using Darwin's natural selection, and the fittest have survived. The reason the fittest survived is due to their advanced traits, their adaptive traits. These advanced traits are passed down from generation to generation through evolution, creating an ancestry of organisms that are superior.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JU8SfWaAU0)
Many of these traits are superior innate behaviors, that allow for better reproducing and advanced mechanisms for surviving various conditions. Humans, being endotherms, have the ability to maintain their body temperature despite changing ambient temperatures. This allows for greater survival rates.
Humans have also developed great skills and talents to entertain individuals. Ted Williams' ability to hit home runs due to his remarkable hand-eye coordination and his great and flawless swing gave fans their moneys worth. His talent was superior than the rest, and he achieved it through hours upon hours of perspiration and hard work. Yet his talents are not ones that will help him survive and reproduce, although the reproduction experience might be enhanced. So overall, innate behaviors are ones that help an organism to live and to pass on its traits, while certain skills and talents are used for other purposes, ones not as critical to the survival of a species.
-Arjun Ahuja (aahuja12@gmail.com)