Tyler Cowen linked to this today. It is a cornucopia of things that warrant comment. The first of which is a site called “Brain Pickings” sounds like something quirky and nerdish. Instead is appears to be run by a fruitcake who thinks “Brain Pickings is a human-powered discovery engine for interestingness” is clever. I know this makes me a big meanie, but I suspect Maria Popova is going to end up living with 50 cats. The “about” section borders on the creepy and what the Hell is a Futures of Entertainment fellowship? I asked Dr. Google and the response was, “There are some things you’re better off not knowing.”

Anyway, the first thing from the post that got my attention is:

Math-teacher-turned-psychologist Angela Duckworth, who began her graduate studies under positive psychology godfather Martin Seligman at my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, has done more than anyone for advancing our understanding of how self-control and grit — the relentless work ethic of sustaining your commitments toward a long-term goal — impact success.

Is there anyone who does not know that determination is the key to success? Are there people in America teaching their kids that hard work and determination are unimportant? Is there a culture trying to operate on the principle of “Don’t give a fuck”? The last time I checked, American culture is up to its ears in stories about how how grit and determination allowed someone to overcome all sorts of obstacles. The book business stays afloat on the self-help industry. Frankly, Tony Robbins has done more to promote and explain “grit” in one seminar than Ms. Duckworth has done in her career.

This is one of my peeves about the soft sciences. So much of what they do these days is nothing more than a ridiculous circle jerk. I guess living and working in a hermetically sealed world divorced from reality does that to people. There’s no organic market for the study of grit. Instead it is propped up by a government grant system that is nothing but a type of patronage racket. The soft sciences are starting to look like an isolated village in West Virginia.

This is priceless:

Duckworth spent a number of years toying with the idea of starting her own charter school, but eventually concluded that the model didn’t hold much promise for changing the circumstances of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, those whom the education system was failing most tragically. Instead, she decided to pursue a PhD program at Penn.

In other words, Ms. Duckworth quickly figured out that no one was going to give her money to experiment on their kids. Or, she decided it was too much like work to do the grifting it takes to get the funding for her ideas. The easy route was to game the system and get a PhD is nonsense. I have a friend who has been playing the same game for 25 years now. He has more credentials than most people and probably could not setup a lemonade stand with hurting himself. Our university system is packed with people who have no useful skill, even in the field they hold their doctorate.

Finally, the “grit” test at the end is hilarious. It is as if a child put it together. Anyone with the IQ of a chimp is going to figure out how to game the test. I’ve taken a lot of IQ tests and personality tests in my life. It is really hard to fool high IQ people on personality tests so I have low standards for those. This is so amateurish it could be passed off as a gag.

Anyway, I’m having another beer…

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