Jihad needs scientists
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From: unsettled on 1 Dec 2006 19:13 Jonathan Kirwan wrote: snip > The key ingredient missed by those who imagine that hard work and > intelligence are all that are needed to succeed, pasted together with > motivation, is the very important element of 'opportunity.' For the > poor, this amounts largely to 'luck.' For the rich, this includes all > of the luck element but adds a lot more in terms of much wider access > and the ability to create one's own opportunities with far less > personal risk in quality of life. Like plants, which require many > different ingredients to grow properly, success for the poor isn't > just a matter of motivation or a matter of hard work or a matter of > intelligence. Those certainly help, when opportunity does arrive, but > it is also a matter of just being lucky enough to have an opportunity > by which to apply those things well. snip Opportunity is discovered by the individual, not handed to them.
From: Eeyore on 1 Dec 2006 19:59 unsettled wrote: > Jonathan Kirwan wrote: > > snip > > > The key ingredient missed by those who imagine that hard work and > > intelligence are all that are needed to succeed, pasted together with > > motivation, is the very important element of 'opportunity.' For the > > poor, this amounts largely to 'luck.' For the rich, this includes all > > of the luck element but adds a lot more in terms of much wider access > > and the ability to create one's own opportunities with far less > > personal risk in quality of life. Like plants, which require many > > different ingredients to grow properly, success for the poor isn't > > just a matter of motivation or a matter of hard work or a matter of > > intelligence. Those certainly help, when opportunity does arrive, but > > it is also a matter of just being lucky enough to have an opportunity > > by which to apply those things well. > > snip > > Opportunity is discovered by the individual, not handed to them. Sounds impressive but ultimately falls short. Graham
From: Jonathan Kirwan on 1 Dec 2006 20:21 On Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:13:24 -0600, unsettled <unsettled(a)nonsense.com> wrote: ><snip> >Opportunity is discovered by the individual, not handed to them. ><snip> Nope. That only tells me you've never been there. Spoken like a person born with a silver spoon in their mouth. I hadn't said that being poor means there are no opportunities. A smart person will recognize more of them. So being smart helps. A hard working person will be better able to make more of them. So being hard working helps. But wealth is a far bigger advantage for success than is being poor. Control over capital and people creates opportunities and defends against feeling the fuller brunt of mistakes made in learning from them. It would seem that you'd argue being poor is an advantage, too. If it weren't so patently laughable, I'd even imagine you actually believed it. jon
From: krw on 1 Dec 2006 20:57 In article <4570CFFB.79F06D99(a)hotmail.com>, rabbitsfriendsandrelations(a)hotmail.com says... > > > unsettled wrote: > > > Jonathan Kirwan wrote: > > > > snip > > > > > The key ingredient missed by those who imagine that hard work and > > > intelligence are all that are needed to succeed, pasted together with > > > motivation, is the very important element of 'opportunity.' For the > > > poor, this amounts largely to 'luck.' For the rich, this includes all > > > of the luck element but adds a lot more in terms of much wider access > > > and the ability to create one's own opportunities with far less > > > personal risk in quality of life. Like plants, which require many > > > different ingredients to grow properly, success for the poor isn't > > > just a matter of motivation or a matter of hard work or a matter of > > > intelligence. Those certainly help, when opportunity does arrive, but > > > it is also a matter of just being lucky enough to have an opportunity > > > by which to apply those things well. > > > > snip > > > > Opportunity is discovered by the individual, not handed to them. > > Sounds impressive but ultimately falls short. Only in societies where the nerve has been cut. -- Keith
From: unsettled on 1 Dec 2006 22:09
Jonathan Kirwan wrote: > On Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:13:24 -0600, unsettled <unsettled(a)nonsense.com> > wrote: > > >><snip> >>Opportunity is discovered by the individual, not handed to them. >><snip> > > > Nope. That only tells me you've never been there. Spoken like a > person born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Believe as you wish. Because I'm not suffering you won't believe anything I tell you. > I hadn't said that being poor means there are no opportunities. A > smart person will recognize more of them. So being smart helps. A > hard working person will be better able to make more of them. So > being hard working helps. Good so far. > But wealth is a far bigger advantage for > success than is being poor. That way of thinking excuses failure. > Control over capital and people creates opportunities and defends > against feeling the fuller brunt of mistakes made in learning from > them. > It would seem that you'd argue being poor is an advantage, too. If it > weren't so patently laughable, I'd even imagine you actually believed > it. You're wallowing in it. Opportunity is discovered by the individual, not handed to them. |