Philo - Book Report

Cooper Nikko C.
Chavez
BS Bio IVA/Philo104-F
Outliers: The Story of Success

by Malcolm Gladwell
Hearing successful people talk about their lives always seem to inspire us to strive a life
comparable to theirs. Malcolm Gladwell calls them outliers, an allegory to the statistical term
that means a person or an object that differs from the other members of the set or group.
Outliers: The Story of Success gives a fresh take on the lives of these outliers. It is not the
brightest who succeed, Gladwell writes. Nor is success simply the sum of the decisions and
efforts we make on our own behalf. It is, rather, a gift. Outliers are those who have been given
opportunities and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them. Gladwell
asserts a passionate argument on a non-formulaic pattern of success, focusing rather on the
chances and circumstances these outliers take advantage of.
The author addresses several key points in the book through various chapters. The first
of which is the effect of unacknowledged biases that results in cumulative advantage. Second,
the idea that it takes 10 000 hours of practice for someone to be really good at something.
Third, timing plays a crucial role as a factor for success. Fourth, the upbringing that one had
leads to opportunity. Fifth, the meaning that one puts into their work matters. Lastly, values are
often unconsciously handed down to us from generation to generation, and as such cast long
shadows over our current behavior.
As a culture we tend to believe that people who are successful (people like Mozart, Bill
Gates, The Beatles) all are self-made-men and have risen to the summit of achievement on the
basis of some incredibly special power they have and that we do not. It is a comforting thought,
in some ways. If we have not done as well we are hardly to blame, because we just didnt have
that certain something. We dont have the thing that sets these people apart from the crowd.
And in this cult of celebrity we even get a chance to live vicariously in the reflection of their glory.
This book is not about successful people and their paths to success, but it is about a series of
biographies of people who have become incredibly successful. The biographies are generally
told twice. The first time in a way that confirms all our prejudices about self-made men and then
in a way that makes sense of the success in ways we may find much more uncomfortable. I
really struggled with this book I loved every minute of it, but I still felt remarkably challenged
by it. It was very hard not to think of my own life while reading this book. And this did not make
me feel comfortable.
The books gives a different take on various success stories. Most often, stories of
success talks of working hard to achieve a common goal. Gladwells unique perspective
highlights not the path of success but the factors that lead outliers to where they are right now.
On a personal note, the books unveiled to me the factors that were not known to me that
propelled outliers to their success especially in the 10 000 hours that his book is known for. It is
comforting to know that failure at the beginning of a hobby or a skill is normal in order to truly
master a skill. In this book, the author cited several renowned outliers like Bill Gates and
professional violinists who spent more than 10 000 hours in crafting their skill. It validates my
personal effort in spending hours upon hours of studying. However, at the same time it also
questions my personal beliefs that I need certain biases in life to be successful. Success,
Gladwell pointed out, is an amalgam of all these factors. Its disconcerting to know that the
absence of one or two of these factors may impede an individual for the success that he/she
aims. Personally, I do not have the right upbringing that the author stated for a sure path to
success, but that does not mean I should not strive hard for my goals.
I truly enjoyed reading this book and have learned a lot of information that I wouldnt
necessarily have thought about or would have been interested in. However now that I am done
with this book I am very interested to see how Gladwell examines other issues of importance
throughout his other books. I truly enjoyed learning new perspectives into subject matter I was
already aware of as well as learning new subject matter. This book should be on everybodys
bookshelf. It doesnt matter whether you necessarily believe what Malcolm Gladwell is
describing, it matters that he gets you thinking. He points you to some solutions to problems. He
describes it so that anyone could read it and understand it. A positive aspect that I thoroughly
enjoyed is that the author cites that Outliers normally dont come from Ivy League schools they
can come from anywhere.
Success is not an easy journey and there are always particular events and factors that
will enable it. No one is really self-made, which is the point that Gladwell is trying to make. The
author is clear that what makes someone successful is that opportunity and preparation coming
together. This isnt the first book on success and it will not be the last however it does give us
many pointers that we may use to realize our opportunities.

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Cooper Nikko C.

Outliers: The Story of Success

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