Can Engaging the Gifted Lead to Social and Economic Growth?

Thinking about the concept of the gifted, I see it as an untapped resource for the nation and society. This blog explores ideas and concepts related to the broader development of society. Every society has a structure that determines who receives the most rewards and who does not. That isn’t unique to any one nation—every society functions within such frameworks and those also adjust and change over time. However, an often-overlooked group that doesn’t always fit neatly into that structure are gifted individuals who can step a foot or two into the unseen .

Arthur Schopenhauer said, “Talent is hitting the target nobody else can hit, while genius is hitting the target nobody else can see."

I won’t go into great depth about what “gifted” is or isn’t, but I do want to focus on the benefits of developing gifted people and how doing so can improve society as a whole. Gifted individuals often possess certain traits and characteristics that make them unique. On one hand, they can process information and detail much faster than others; on the other, they may take longer to make decisions because they consider multiple contingencies and factors before reaching a conclusion. They can often see relationships and patterns that others cannot, allowing them to anticipate outcomes or consequences that are less obvious to most people.

We can learn a lot

from gifted people...

"all men are by nature equal,

made all of the same earth

by one Workman". -Plato

"We hold these truths to be self-evident,

that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed, by their Creator,

with certain unalienable rights..."

— The US Declaration of Independence

There is also heighted emotional and moral dimension to giftedness that isn’t necessarily common in the broader population at that level (The general population has them as well but gifted often develop them faster and can help others see those values within themselves.). While everyone is socialized to certain values, the gifted may have the ability to form deeper connections between symbolic and moral principles, helping them organize and interpret moral dilemmas in more complex ways. For example, if society professes certain values but fails to act on them through unspoken rules or social norms, gifted individuals might not only recognize that inconsistency but also categorize and analyze it in ways others may overlook (I suspect if they were very profound they could analyze more systemically.).

The combination of advanced cognitive processing and heightened moral aptitude can make gifted individuals either assets to society or disruptors of the status quo. Few would doubt that figures such as Jesus, Plato, and other great thinkers were gifted. Their empathy and awareness allowed them to introduce new ways of understanding the world—one through a divine lens and the other through social philosophy. Despite their differences, both contributed profoundly to human societal development.

Currently, the gifted population  is estimated to make up about 2% of society (Profound intelligence is less. If we also add devleopmenton the multiple intelligences then we are likely to find a small fraction.). They are not always the wealthiest, do not necessarily come from elite schools, and are not confined to any race, religion, or political belief. Giftedness is a natural biological variation—an outcome seen across nearly all species, where some rise above the average curve while others fall below it. Unfortunately, because we often define “gifted” narrowly—through privileged programs or selective institutions—we overlook the vast majority of gifted individuals in society.

I bring this up because I’ve met a few gifted people in my life, and I’ve always learned something from them. As a society, we should think seriously about how to better utilize their potential, even when we don’t always agree with them. Gifted individuals sometimes express truths we’d rather not face, but those truths can help us grow and enhance performance. Their ability to see patterns and relationships that others cannot often means their insights are ahead of their time and that is not going to sit well with others.

I don’t claim to be an expert on developing gifted people, but it seems clear that without environments that nurture their abilities, many of them will be lost to society. When that happens, the moral and intellectual progress we need as a people is delayed. Such bell curve people may have an important role of pushing society to develop for its own good but run into challenges by those who would arrest development for their own benefit. As with any entity, business, society or nation if they do not update and develop regularly they fall behind (The Renaissance existed because of the socio-cultural factors mixed with techonology lead to profound advancements in multiple fields. We may be at those times again with AI. Without the right environment we won't maximize societal growth. A reason to develop human capitality and the social and economic development of society.)

It’s something worth reflecting on. A few random late night thoughts in front of the fireplace while listening to the news. The following two articles discuss some common traits of giftedness and how gifted individuals perform in their careers. Overall, they tend to do better than average, but their growth can still be limited by standardized environments that fail to accommodate their unique ways of thinking. I wonder what would happen if they fully engaged in an environment that willining accepts development? Perhaps societal advancement would be faster. 🤔

Professional Situation of Gifted

Gifted Traits Adults