This question of talent can be rephrased in another way: are humans the product of genetic selfish replicators alone? The answer seems to be no, that memetic replication has a role as well. If only genes were the factors in what makes a person "talented", then indeed, people could consider "talent" as the predictive factor in somebody's success. But we are not only gene replicators, we are also meme replicators, and therefore, our innate "talent" is not a sole predictor of our success. I could be for example genetically pre-disposed towards intelligence, but then if my mind becomes hijacked by one of the various religious memes out there, instead of using my innate, genetic intelligence for the benefit of man, I could for example use that intelligence towards constructing a dirty bomb, in slavish servitude to the meme of religious fanaticism which has infected me. So is "talent" bullshit? Yes and no. To the extent that we are determined by genes, no, talent is very real. To the extent that memes play a role however, talent can either be increased, decreased, or misdirected towards destructive ends.
Thank you for the insight. I never claimed my blog to be perfect and invulnerable to attacks from different fields of view.
You show an interesting attitude towards the problem I raised here.
I consider religion to be pretty much the waste of time, but let us not indulge in this personality representing discussion that could lead to already fought flame wars.
Could intelligence directly relate to understanding of what is wrong (by understanding how it affects others) and what is right ? Because if I'm intelligent, and yet I'm a fanatic of something, and I believe that supporting that cause by killing off people is the right choice - am I still an intelligent being ? Or just crazy ? Do my genes indicate that I should be a madman then with the ability to understand technicalities of constructing a bomb and the chemistry behind it?
