Argumentative Essay On 'Outliers'

580 Words3 Pages

Argumentative Essay
What if the phrase “practice makes perfect” wasn’t actually true? Malcolm Gladwell claims that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to perfect a skill, however, some people are starting to believe that may not be the case. “Your Genes Don’t Fit. Why 10,000 Hours of Practice, Won’t Make You an Expert”, argues that mastering a skill requires innate abilities along with practice.
In Gladwell’s best-selling novel, “Outliers”, the belief that 10,000 hours of practice makes a person an expert seems to be a prominent theme. “The emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice are required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert–in anything” (Gladwell 40). According to recent research, 10,000 is the number of hours put in by all experts on certain skills, like music, sports, or art. This research is why the majority believes in the rule that Malcolm Gladwell made so famous.
“Your Genes Don’t Fit. Why 10,000 Hour of …show more content…

“All the hard work in the world won’t overcome a brain-based deficit” (Grandin and Panek 2). To say that copious amounts of practice alone will make a person an expert is an “injustice to the naturally gifted and a disservice to the naturally ungifted” (2). Our brains, as human beings, simply do not allow us to be an expert at something solely by practice. A person could become great at something through practice, but they must first have the genetic capacity to learn and excel at it. Though Gladwell made a few good points, the only true formula for success includes a combination of both innate ability and practice. You must be naturally gifted at something and willing to put in the time and effort to genuinely be a master of it. Without innate talent, someone will never be able to be successful at something. So, do you think talent is involved in the making of a