the+outliers

The Outliers By Malcolm Gladwell Summary by Brad David //The Outliers//, an analytical piece by Malcolm Gladwell, focuses on various human behaviors throughout history and society to make conclusions about reoccurring traits of successful individuals. This work is not directly tied to any economy or the concept of economics in general. Rather, it introduces some of the most influential and successful people in the world, and analyzes what made them so. The main point of Gladwell’s //The Outliers// is that all the stories we hear about success (rags to riches and similar stories) are not the individual succeeding alone. Gladwell’s point is that there are hundreds of factors, both genetic and situational, that make the individual successful. The book itself is divided into two parts, and ten chapters. A fairly short read, //The Outliers// approaches its main theme in an organized, enjoyable manner. The first half of the book is titled “Opportunity.” Gladwell begins the story by describing the strange statistic that most professional Canadian hockey players were born within the first three months of the year. Upon analyzing, it turns out that at early ages, the cutoff date for hockey teams is at the end of the year. Thus, the kids that just missed the cutoff date are put in the smaller classes, but their bodies are a year more mature than their teammates. Because of this, the children get to play more, due to their size, and get more practice. It’s this extra practice that makes the individual better than most, and eventually leads them to the professional league. This example ushers in one of the strongest points in //The Outliers//: Those who are successful were given exclusive opportunities during life that place them above others. For example, Gladwell explains that Bill Gates, as early as 8th grade, had access to computers, when most of the world did not. It was Bill Gates’ completely accidental location that placed him close to so many free computers. During his youth, Bill was able to master computers in a world where only mathematicians or millionaires could use them. Gladwell goes on to explain how it was this exclusive opportunity that got Bill Gates to where he is today. Bill had no extreme, prodigal talent; he merely had years of practice before anyone else did. As seen from above, Gladwell utilizes many examples of well-known successes to illustrate his point. Instead of a boring, textbook style analysis of human behaviors, //The Outliers// focuses on interesting and specific examples, such as the Beatles, and Manhattan Project scientist Chris Oppenheimer. In one interesting chapter of //The Outliers//, Gladwell attempts to explain how geniuses are made, and also tackles the IQ test. The book explains that there are two types of geniuses: Practical, and Analytical. The most commonly thought of geniuses are analytical. These are able to compute solutions to incredible problems, and make astounding scientific discoveries. Albert Einstein was an analytical genius. The practical genius, on the other hand, possesses societal skills and abilities that help them to succeed in the real world. These individuals are able to manipulate the people around them to not only get what they want, but change others’ outlooks on subjects; they are masters of communication. Gladwell explains that mastering communication can be enkindled at a very young age. Parents who encourage children to speak up, and talk to older figures themselves are creating practical geniuses. //The Outliers// portrays the ability to communicate your ideas and thoughts with a superior as being a notable trait for success. To cite another example, Chris Oppenheimer, an historical scientist and creator of the Atom Bomb, had mastered communication to the point where he once successfully justified attempting to kill his math professor. Gladwell strongly demonstrates that to be successful in life, one must effectively convey their thoughts to others. //The Outliers// spends a fair amount of time discussing the IQ test, and how it falls short in determining geniuses. This chapter in the book sheds light on the history of the IQ test, and also depicts how it didn’t work. The aim of the IQ test was to find the certain hidden geniuses in the world, and let their potential be known. After the first run of the IQ test, the calculated geniuses were studied for the rest of their lives. The prediction was that these individuals would be the Nobel Prize winners and leading scientists. However, many turned out to be just middle-class, ordinary people. Those who did win the Nobel Prize were ironically not geniuses in the IQ test. The second half of the book is titled “Legacy.” This portion of //The Outliers// focuses on the inherited cultural traits of individuals, which often influences their behavior. Gladwell begins this section by recounting a violent string of family feuds in Kentucky during the antebellum period. After interestingly describing these accounts, Gladwell tells that every family involved in the feud originally came from southern Scotland and northern England. These areas were known to be inhabited by clannish herdsmen. The culture and attitude of these British Isle herdsmen, often dubbed “Honor Cultures,” are societies that revolve around the honor of an individual or family. The book goes on to show that despite two hundred years of separation from Honor Cultures, the traits of such societies are still very much alive in its descendants. It is almost as if the behaviors of 17th century herdsmen are genetically part of a descendant. Gladwell furthers this theory in citing a recent scientific experiment in which every Southerner who was called an “asshole” became extremely angered, while every Northerner laughed the situation off. It should be noted that the majority of the South was settled by various Honor Cultures. Many of the Southerners in the experiment were, however, the sons of wealthy Atlanta businessmen, with no immediate ties to herding in the British Isles. It is merely the remnants of the individuals’ ancient ancestors that cause the Southerners to behave as they did. In another interesting chapter, Gladwell blames the rash of airplane crashes in the recent past to cultural miscommunications. Many of the past’s tragic plane wrecks could have been avoided iF the captain had listened to the subordinate officers. However, it was the flight crew’s nationality and culture that made such communication virtually impossible. Specifically citing a series of Korean plane wrecks, Gladwell notes that in Korean society, authority and class are very important. The subordinates were unable to voice their opinion to the captain, possibly warning of problems, because their culture said it was not proper. Cultural traits like these, Gladwell says, can be translated across generations, ultimately affecting the individual’s success. As a whole, Malcolm Gladwell’s //The Outliers// is an extremely thought provoking and enjoyable book. His thorough analysis and explanation of examples, as well as his logical conclusions from the examples make the book easy to follow and understand. Gladwell successfully earns credibility by citing many of his examples from fellow historians, psychologists, and scholars. The author often strikes his theories from many perspectives. He will often address several varying analyses of his examples to land on a solid, well-explained conclusion. However, the lengthy examples, in an attempt to emphasize his point, are sometimes too lengthy to follow and end as overkill. The examples could have been described short enough but adequately enough to completely illustrate Gladwell’s point, without the reiteration. Gladwell’s writing style is casual, but extremely informative. His theories about success are logically astounding and capable of easily being applied to the real world. While lengthy, the examples in //The Outliers// are still enjoyable to read. In a sense, they are mini-biographies of the individuals being studied. Personally, this book was very enjoyable. Its original approach and thought-provoking nature creates an extremely educational and enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to anyone.