flâneur

Real World Success Requires an Endless Training Montage

robkhenderson.com · 114 words · saved by 1 readers

A key quote: “Every part of the fantasy universe is optimized to justify why a person with no special ability or agency can save the world.” I’ve never been a big fan of fantasy, and Scott’s point is one reason why. The point that specialness comes not from effort, work, intellect, emotion, perseverance, or concentration, but from just being you. It strikes me as silly and childish. One response is to say that real life works this way, at least to some extent. Certain traits that predictably lead to success are largely heritable (i.e., unearned). But being intelligent or hardworking isn’t going to grant you outsized success overnight. Even if an omnipotent entity gave you a couple dozen additional IQ points and/or a 1SD boost in conscientiousness, you’re not suddenly going to become a Nobel Prize winning physicist or a successful founder or top tier podcaster unless you put in a ton of work and a lot of hours. If you have raw ability and you want to achieve something, you still have to

Share Give a gift subscription This piece on “The Psychology of Fantasy” from Scott Alexander sparked a few thoughts. A key quote: “Every part of the fantasy universe is optimized to justify why a person with no special ability or agency can save the world.” I’ve never been a big fan of fantasy, and Scott’s point is one reason why. The point that specialness comes not from effort, work, intellect, emotion, perseverance, or concentration, but from just being you. It strikes me as silly and childish. One response is to say that real life works this way, at least to some extent. Certain…

related reading