Nature vs. Nurture Part 2/2: Nurturing Our Nature and Cultivating Talent (with Harry Ramsay)

In Part 2 of this two-part salon, Harry Ramsay will lead the conversation beyond mere definitions of talent into an expositional, participatory dialogue about how we can best cultivate what talents we have – in our friends, our children, and (of course) ourselves.

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Having already deliberated the nature of talent in Part 1 of this two-part series (Is “talent” genetic? Environmental? A mere by-product of simple, good old-fashioned hard work?), we now reach the conversation’s natural conclusion and begin to examine the ways in which we can encourage those around us to cultivate their talents to their fullest.

In which ways, then, can we successfully create an environment in which this is possible? And, inverting this, how can we remove existing barriers in order to make this effortless?

During this salon, we will touch upon many of these themes, including:

• Exploration and experimentation. How can we begin to intuit where our real aptitudes lie?
• Cultural environment. Some surroundings naturally allow talent to flourish, whereas others strongly discourage any behaviour that stands out from the crowd (Tall Poppy Syndrome / A kent yer faither / Maaiveldcultuur)
• Support. How can we encourage and champion people (our friends, our children, and, yes, ourselves) in our individual journeys? Where is the fine line between nudging and pressuring? What if a person is talented but doesn’t think so (or worse, isn’t talented, but thinks they are)? Can we equip people with tools, techniques and mindsets that will furnish them with a competitive advantage in today’s increasingly cutthroat world?

In summary: now that we have discussed what talent is, how should we best turn our attention to the second and much more important step: deploying this new knowledge towards the ultimate pursuit of maximising human flourishing?

Good to read / watch pre-Salon:

• David Epstein – Range: Why specialization can be a downside in our ever-changing world
• [VIDEO] Stuart Jay Raj – BrainTalk – Wiring Your Kids’ Brains for Success – Is there Need for School Anymore?
• Let The Kids Roam
• Jazz prodigy Jacob Collier: ‘Quincy Jones told me jazz is the classical music of pop’
• Josh Waitzkin Distilled
• Clearer Thinking: Life-changing Questions
• BONUS – [VIDEO, 1 hr] – VC6 Live: Eric Whitacre in conversation with Jacob Collier

Time zones

Friday 30th April

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12pm in Los Angeles / San Francisco
3pm in New York
8pm in London
9pm in Berlin / Paris

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Why not add the ii Calendar to your calendar?

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