Michael Johnson slams Michael Gladwell - talent is key

Guppy wrote:

Gladwell popularized the 10,000 hour rule. He did not create it. It wasn't exactly the only thing he talked about in his great book, "Outliers" either. If people actually read the book and comprehended it, they would have much less criticism for the man. I thought he made a solid argument for success being a combination of talent, training, luck, and circumstance. I honestly don't see how anyone could make any logical argument that what he said was flawed in any serious way. Thinking about it now, it reminds me of Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" and how he applied the same reasoning and principles to human history and why things are the way they are today. Diamond received a lot of criticism for that book too, and so far all of it that I've seen makes me wonder if these people ever actually read the book, but then if Dawkins' major work was attacked under the notion that genes couldn't feel emotions and thus could not be selfish, I don't doubt may of the critics did in fact not read past the title and back cover. Same thing goes for Gladwell's books.

Tyrannosaurus Rexing wrote:

Guppy wrote:

I thought he made a solid argument for success being a combination of talent, training, luck, and circumstance.

Um, if that really was his argument, no one would buy his book. Who doesn't already believe that?? People sell books by writing about "new" exciting ideas that overturn the conventional wisdom. For instance, speaking of Gary Taubes (we were, weren't we?), would he sell a book that said: "there aren't enough long term clinical trials to REALLY know what is the best diet. Probably a balanced diet of moderation in grains, meat, veggies and fruit, with a focus on not eating more calories than you burn, and getting enough activity is likely a good idea for good health" ?? No of course not. That's, to quote Homer Simpson, "booooor-innnnng." So he wrote "GOOD calories, BAAAAD calories", overturning (in his mind) the status quo of nutrition advice. Now that will sell you some books!

Subfive wrote:

Tyrannosaurus Rexing wrote:

Um, if that really was his argument, no one would buy his book. Who doesn't already believe that?? People sell books by writing about "new" exciting ideas that overturn the conventional wisdom. For instance, speaking of Gary Taubes (we were, weren't we?), would he sell a book that said: "there aren't enough long term clinical trials to REALLY know what is the best diet. Probably a balanced diet of moderation in grains, meat, veggies and fruit, with a focus on not eating more calories than you burn, and getting enough activity is likely a good idea for good health" ?? No of course not. That's, to quote Homer Simpson, "booooor-innnnng." So he wrote "GOOD calories, BAAAAD calories", overturning (in his mind) the status quo of nutrition advice. Now that will sell you some books!

Very good points. Just check the Washington Post Bestseller's nonfiction list and you'll see one or two books about eating nearly every week. How much more can be said about how to eat?? It's as you point out, people want "new" ideas....even if it's nonsense.