[wpietri]

I think the point is that if one aspires to be a figure like Higgs, one can't just coast on "innate propensities". It requires fiendishly hard work.

That really resonates with me. When I was a kid I got complimented a lot for being smart, especially when I did something quickly and easily. This trained me pretty well in seeming smart, but really discouraged me from things that required hard work or persistence through failure. It took me years to get over that.

[lupire]

The question wasn't whether hard work was needed. The question was whether genius was needed. Hard work is table stake.

[wpietri]

No, what's at question is what "genius" means. He's asserting that "'genius' was made through hard work (and some amount of luck)". This is in sharp contrast to the common notion that genius is "innate propensity", where Smarty McSmartpants just goes around being brilliant because he's born that way. I favor his view and think that essentialism is mostly bunk.