Sunday, June 28, 2009

Creativity as a choice.

Malcolm Gladwell in The NewYorker(October 10, 2005):
Social scientists distinguish between what are known as treatment effects and selection effects. The Marine Corps, for instance, is largely a treatment-effect institution. It doesn’t have an enormous admissions office grading applicants along four separate dimensions of toughness and intelligence. It’s confident that the experience of undergoing Marine Corps basic training will turn you into a formidable soldier. A modelling agency, by contrast, is a selection-effect institution. You don’t become beautiful by signing up with an agency. You get signed up by an agency because you’re beautiful.

On the personal level, since you cannot select a different personality for yourself, it makes sense to bet on the treatment effect. That is, you should find training and environment that turn you into a better person. This holds true for personal creativity - developing it is a choice that implies further education.

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