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by paulpauper 1350 days ago
There are thousands of mathematicians in the US. I am sure many have kids. How many of those kids do even a fraction of what Daniel did even when having every possible advantage? Today, young people have assess to more resources than ever, yet talent is one of those things that resists this trend of egalitarianism seem elsewhere. More resources means that the super-talented will pull way ahead of the untalented or only moderately talented.
2 comments

Resources also include parental encouragement, not being bullied, not having to do stuff to get by that isn’t delving into deep work, not trying to fight boring school lessons and exams in subjects not of interest, no pressure to shape your studies to get a job. These are not universal.
To be honest I care more about the high iq kids interested in math who come from poor or working class families that either won’t be identified or will be identified but not much can be done for them given the lack of resources. Plus this doesn’t negate that someone of a similar IQ may accomplish less / seem less impressive at an early age due to such disadvantages.