Does everyone have the potential for greatness?

[Marc K.]

Going by the NBA, average height is very rare

Rare but it exists, even below average height is represented in the NBA.

There are some people with much higher natural musical abilities.

I think you have to be very careful here. There are no "natural" musical abilities, only learned ones.

As a general note, since it has been implied by some, it is important to reemphasize that there is no such thing as genetic determinism. In particular it should be obvious that there is no way learned behavior could be genetically determined.

A lot with musical instrumentation is not so much the mechanics, but your conceptual grasp of the music and how it ought be played. The mechanics have to be worked on hard, but the ability to conceptualize the music I think is what makes a musician great. It's how you think about the music that's vital. [emphasis added]

I agree with you and this is the most important point I want to make: being great is a learned behavior.

[...] perfect pitch, [...] relative pitch, [...] how it ought be played, [...] conceptualize the music, [...] hand-eye coordination,

All learned.

Well, to quote George Brett, "It's not practice makes perfect, it's perfect practice makes perfect." Your practicing has to be done right, otherwise you practice yourself into bad habits,

I agree and this doesn't contradict what I said. You have to practice well but you still have to practice, practice, practice.

And let's not forget those people who don't have to practice all that much and become very good. They exist too.

I don't quite buy it but even they have to practice. And why is this so? Learning takes practice.

I don’t care how long and hard Jessica Alba works at it, she’ll never be able to bench press 500 lbs, she may never be able to bench 100 lbs. She doesn’t have to work too hard to be fun to look at, however.

This is asking a little much of a woman who weighs 100 lbs. But judging from her success so far I would bet that if she put her mind to it she could become one of the greatest women body builders in the world.

[Moebius]

Rare but it exists, even below average height is represented in the NBA.

Yeah like one. And he has something like a 45 inch vertical leap -- far, FAR above the norm. I don't even know if everybody can acquire a physical ability like that even if they practice practice practice.

I think you have to be very careful here. There are no "natural" musical abilities, only learned ones.

Yeah that's true but there are people that naturally have perfect pitch and what not. It's sort of similar to how not everybody can be naturally a basketball player, but you can be born a 7 footer.

But it's true that being born with physical talents in and of itself will not make you great.

This is asking a little much of a woman who weighs 100 lbs. But judging from her success so far I would bet that if she put her mind to it she could become one of the greatest women body builders in the world.

Body building is different from power lifting. I actually don't think that even if Jessica Alba tried really hard she'd ever be able to bench 500 lbs. Not without getting caught in a space station during the middle of a solar storm and have every molecule bombarded by cosmic rays, thereby acquiring some sort of faaaantastic powers anyway.

[Marc K.]

But it's true that being born with physical talents in and of itself will not make you great.

So essentially you're agreeing with me that greatness is learned, right?

but there are people that naturally have perfect pitch and what not.

I'll ask for help from DavidOdden (David, are you out there?) but I don't think so. Perfect pitch is a learned skill that some may learn quickly.

Body building is different from power lifting. I actually don't think that even if Jessica Alba tried really hard she'd ever be able to bench 500 lbs.

Could any woman her size? I don't think so. Which is why I said what I said.

[Moebius]

So essentially you're agreeing with me that greatness is learned, right?

Isn't that what I said?

I'll ask for help from DavidOdden (David, are you out there?) but I don't think so. Perfect pitch is a learned skill that some may learn quickly.

I have no idea if that is true, but I know that among autistics and savants the incidents of perfect pitch is much higher. There are some researchers that think it may be a genetic trait. Also perfect pitch is also much more prevalent among East Asians.

Could any woman her size? I don't think so. Which is why I said what I said.

Her size as in, at 110 lbs? No, probably not. But then if she was training to lift, her weight would obviously increase.

Although to be honest I don't know if a woman of any size can bench 500 lbs.