<p>Do you think a genius is born to be that way(nature) or can become that way by hardwork and diligence(nurture). If you have any personal anecdotes, opinions please post below.</p>
<p>Both 10char</p>
<p>I believe genius is genetic.</p>
<p>My son got super high SAT scores in CR and writing, and he was reading books at age 3.</p>
<p>Now yes, some “environment” is involved, because his parents read to him, but I suspect that if we had also adopted a second kid, that kid would not have been as smart.</p>
<p>As a lawyer who meets thousands of clients, I can tell you that it is very common for the adopted kid to not do as well academically as the natural child.</p>
<p>Further, there have been studies of twins separated at birth, where both kids wind up becoming chemical engineers, for example, even though they had no contact during childhood. </p>
<p>As for me, I can tell you that no matter how hard I would have studied physics, calculus, and science, that I would never have been able to work in that field. I believe our individual talents are inate.</p>
<p>Einstein was not smart just because he studied hard.</p>
<p>A little of both I’d say. Takes the right environment to really foster it, but there has to be something special there.</p>
<p>But can’t everyone be anything they want to be if they worked hard? Isn’t that the american dream? post replies below</p>
<p>Both come into play. </p>
<p>In some cases, like floridad’s, it can be mostly if not all from one.</p>
<p>No, everyone can not be what they want to be. Everyone has different Talents. Everyone has things that can be developed. Some sing, some are creative, some are more adept at other skills. </p>
<p>So the answer to the origional question:
It takes genetics, nurturing , AND really understanding and being in tune to your given skills. It also takes dedication and discipline- I guess that would be nurture. </p>
<p>Just think where we would be if Steve Jobs wanted to be a singer rather than the tech genius he was obviously meant to be. And spent all of his energy on singing lessons, instead of in his garage playing with computers!</p>
<p>I’d say it’s both, but more genetic. Families that adopt kids come from high economic statuses and are generally (but not always) relatively intelligent. In many cases, kids who were orphaned had parents who were not fit to take care of the kids. These parents generally (but not always) have relatively low intelligence. The adopted kid won’t perform as well in school than the non adopted child because of their intelligence differences. However, I think parents can nurture their children to somewhat help (or hurt) them.</p>
<p>Read the book “Outliers.”</p>
<p>There is [this](<a href=“http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111021162249.htm]this[/url]:”>Psychologists defend the importance of general abilities | ScienceDaily):</a></p>
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<p>But also [this](<a href=“http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111020024329.htm]this[/url]:”>Brain scans support findings that IQ can rise or fall significantly during adolescence | ScienceDaily):</a></p>
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<p>So you probably only say that because the message is uplifting, not because the book is scientifically valuable. If the conclusion was practice is pretty useless, imagine how well * that * book would have sold.</p>
<p>anyway, if we decide in this thread to measure genius by IQ, which seems like a good idea to me, then it’s one of those things where certain genetics are necessary but not sufficient for the development of a genius (of someone who will score x high on the test). A nurturing environment is also important (and its importance depends on how well you start out). </p>
<p>oddly, your IQ is less correlated to your parent’s IQ when your younger. When your older (due to the significant changes that happen during our teenage years, which woof quoted) your IQ tends to become better correlated. The reasons for this are … interesting. but I’m not sure how this is relevant to the born vs. made debate. but it certainly hints that things are * complex *.</p>
<p>[Intelligence</a> quotient - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“Intelligence quotient - Wikipedia”>Intelligence quotient - Wikipedia)
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<p>I’d say born. Einstein sure didn’t study. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs dropped out of college. Hard work will get you far in life (and can make you smart), but it won’t make you a GENIUS.</p>
<p>I think both.
“Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” -William Shakespeare
My favorite quote.</p>
<p>Both: Nature loads the gun, nurture pulls the trigger.</p>
<p>I believe in genetics more than the setting in which a child lives. I’m smart. I don’t live in the best place. My mother is rather smart and my father is good in certain areas. I believe my smarts have come from genetics. I always thought there may even be a “smart gene”. And when people work hard it doesn’t mean they do well. My friend tries her best in our Spanish class, 3 hours of studying, and gets C’s or a B. I study for about 15 minutes in the class before while doing other work and I get A’s. so I believe intelligence is more passed on than worked for.</p>
<p>^Could it be that you’re just more interested in the class/material than your friend? Maybe you have better study methods/ways to pay attention?</p>
<p>I think that there are a lot of factors involved. I don’t think that having the “right” genetics alone can make you more of a genius than anyone else though (Just like how some people are predisposed to anger through some sort of hereditary trait, but don’t actually develop that kind of behavior unless abused or exposed to it in some way during childhood). I think that it’s provoked by something.</p>
<p>We both dislike the course. And I believe I said I don’t study. If I do, it’s during chorus while I’m singing and reading some vocabulary. She spends the night before with flashcards, the textbook and her notebook. She deserves better grades than me, for her effort.</p>
<p>As far as research goes, I’ve heard it said that intelligence is one of the most hereditary traits that you cannot measure directly. </p>
<p>Parents and their children tend to score similarly on IQ tests.</p>
<p>This might be the most interesting thread I have read on cc. Genius, in my opinion, is neither past along nor learned. It is luck of the combination.</p>
<p>would you say it’s something like 80% “nature” and 20% “nuture”?</p>