Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluegrassplayer
The Sports Gene sounds interesting, not sure if Gladwell is a "charlatan" though. Never read his book but I was under the impression that only a small portion had to do with sports. Obviously with some things, like sports, the 10,000 hour rule wouldn't apply because there are people who are just so naturally gifted that they can stomp anyone who isn't as gifted. Same applies to poker to an extent, but at the same time the people putting in the hours are likely to be the ones rising to the top... even if it's not the very very very top.
Gladwell has written several books, all in the same style. He takes a small shred of evidence and uses it to jump to a grandiose conclusion about a very complex issue. Rinse, repeat. The 10,000 hour rule is just one of many examples.
I once read an interview with Gladwell in which he essentially said that he doesn't think the readers of his books are smart enough to understand complex issues, so he takes it upon himself to craft easy to follow narratives.
Forgot to mention one other chapter of Sports Gene that I really liked. It was about testosterone levels,
De La Chappelle Syndrome, and how it's scientifically impossible to categorize people into a binary sex.