by David Shenk · Icon Books · tapa dura · ISBN 9781848311374
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In this dazzling look at the new science of genetics and the frontiers of human potential, David Shenk argues that talent is not something we're gifted from birth and coded in our genes, but a process - a lifelong project. Shenk discusses evidence that shows how the average London cabbie's posterior hippocampus is not just larger than normal but increases in size as the driver's experience grows. He illustrates that Mozart, seemingly born a musical prodigy, was in fact brought up in an environment almost uniquely perfect to mould him into the child star he became. Genes, he argues, are not a 'blueprint' that bless some with greatness and doom most of us to mediocrity. Integrating cutting-edge research from a wide swath of disciplines, Shenk portrays a highly optimistic new view of human potential, and in the book's second part, he outlines his prescription for cultivating excellence within us all.
David Shenk is an American writer, lecturer, and songwriter.
