
Book Review: Raise a Genius (2017) - saadalem
https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/07/31/book-review-raise-a-genius/
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qznc
The “concentrate on one subject” part is interesting. I reminds me of "get
good enough in one skill to see the meta game" [0]:

> There seems to be something in getting good at a skill tree that helps in
> latter life. I’d like to think it is a function of exposure: once you see
> the competitive meta at the top of one skill tree, you begin looking for it
> everywhere else.

So the theory is something like: If you achieve mastery in one skill, it helps
learning other skills because you know better what to aim for.

[0] [https://commoncog.com/blog/to-get-good-go-after-the-
metagame...](https://commoncog.com/blog/to-get-good-go-after-the-metagame/)

~~~
papeda
I have heard about "competitive meta" before. What I don't understand is how
it's any different than "responding to changes in how a game works"? All of
the examples in the link are like this (Magic has new cards, let's figure out
how to use them; judo has new rules, let's figure out how to adapt to them;
our Ultimate opponent is using a certain strategy, let's try to counter it).

~~~
GreedCtrl
Here's a different example:

Super Smash Bros Melee is almost 20 years old and still sees competitive play.
There's a technique in the game called pivoting, which is a one-frame input
used to unlock more movement options. It's been known for a while, but top
players didn't make much use of it, as such a demanding mechanic seemed beyond
the reach of consistent human performance.

A new(ish) player, Zain, has become one of the best in the world, and he makes
frequent use of pivots, among many well-known but underused techniques.

The rules haven't changed. The tools have always been there. But now someone
is picking them up. This layer of the game, once thought to be "not worth it,"
has now entered the metagame.

(There's actually an upcoming documentary about Melee called Metagame. To be
released... eventually)

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dchuk
So along these lines:

I have a 14 month old son, and am really interested in just generally
understanding the cognitive development of kids and how they learn about the
world over time.

Are there any good books on the subject?

~~~
inetsee
You could check out Jean Piaget. Wikipedia article here
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget)

He is a big name in Psychology circles on the cognitive development of the
child. From the Wikipedia article: "Piaget was second only to B. F. Skinner as
the most cited psychologist of that era."

~~~
mennis16
I think a lot of Piaget's work has either been built on or pushed back on in
more recent research, so while it definitely could be a good place to start I
would make sure you also look into some more modern work. The other benefit of
that is you can also reach out with questions, at least I've generally had
good luck with getting responses from PIs. Laura Schulz is a super nice person
who may have work of interest to you GP.

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isaiah_taylor
Of course if you select a kid’s profession at 3 or 4 they’ll be good at it.
But doesn’t that stifle them? What if they should’ve been something else?

~~~
tejohnso
Here's a relevant quote:

“How much should parents intervene in the future of their children? Should
they influence the choice of profession, partner or politics?” Let us begin
with the choice of profession. I will speak only about parents who seriously
endeavor to smooth the way for their children. Among them there are two types.
Some say that a child should be many-faceted, “taste” everything, and in
adulthood or close to it they should decide for themselves what they will do.
I can also understand this standpoint. However, if the parents wish the
children to achieve genius results, then – in my opinion – the parents’
decision should not be put off, and one should decide the direction of their
specialization even in infancy.

However, his sample curriculum looks like this:

– 4 hours of specialist study (for us, chess)

– 1 hour of a foreign language. Esperanto in the first year, English in the
second, and another chosen at will in the third. At the stage of beginning,
that is, intensive language instruction, it is necessary to increase the study
hours to 3 – in place of the specialist study – for 3 months. In summer, study
trips to other countries.

– 1 hour of general study (native language, natural science and social
studies)

– 1 hour of computing

– 1 hour of moral, psychological, and pedagogical studies (humor lessons as
well, with 20 minutes every hour for joke telling)

– 1 hour of gymnastics, freely chosen, which can be accomplished individually
outside school. The division of study hours can of course be treated
elastically.

So it's not like he is advocating 100% focus on the specialty to the exclusion
of all other subjects. The educator and child together should be able to
switch the specialty based on early signs of preference and capability.

~~~
mdparker89
The specialty actually provides context for the other subjects. You don't
learn to write for the sake of writing, you write about chess. You get to
practice the foreign language at tournaments with people from other countries,
etc.

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Luc
> I was pretty upset because, although he had a book called Raise A Genius, it
> was hard to find and only available in Hungarian and Esperanto.

Not that it matters but I have this book in French. 'Le phénomène Polgar, ou
l'art de former des génies'. ISBN 2-87148-024-9.

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dr_kiszonka
Is there a Hacker News about parenting? I am looking for a community with
similar social norms to HN, but parenting-related content.

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deltron3030
Don't raise kids that are going to be bored at school.

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itcrowd
I enjoy some of Alexander's writing but I really hope he would consider making
a proper mobile view of his website.

At least the reader view in Firefox fixes it.

~~~
algon33
Scott doesn't program things. There's a guy he knows who set it up, so it
depends on his schedule I guess.

