Swimmer963 comments on Negative and Positive Selection - Less Wrong

71 Post author: alyssavance 06 July 2012 01:34AM

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Comment author: Swimmer963 06 July 2012 04:36:11PM 1 point [-]

I agree that I probably shouldn't have used the word 'innate'; given the meanings people associate with it, it was more likely to confuse people than help. Maybe "prior talent" or something similar?

My "definition" of inner talent is that of an abstract representation of the "source" of the talent in question. An "outer" talent is one where, to explain by example, a person's genetic profile is directly favorable to athletics by producing the required muscle mass more efficiently with less prodding, and recovering from exercising damage more easily, and so on. By contrast, an "inner" talent is one where synergies, "affinities" in the system, side-routes, or other indirect or invisible. I always fail to find the words to explain complex dynamics where various seemingly-unrelated things converge to the same location to push in the same direction, but that's about the kind of psychological or physical events I'm trying to refer to with "inner" talents.

I think I understand the concept you're trying to convey, but I find that youre're using the words 'inner' and 'outer' in a very unconventional way that I've never heard before, which is also likely to confuse.