General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Almost Two-Thirds of 18-29 Year Olds Believe in "Demon Possession" What Is Happening to America? [View all]bhikkhu
(10,715 posts)as in - every human child born has many more neurons available for development than are necessary. The process of growing up involves the paring down and making efficient of that mental volume, and the creation of the connections necessary for the environment one lives in.
Any pair of backward fundies could generate a Pauling, a Watson, a Reimann, or whoever, given the environmental opportunity. I don't really think belief in ghosts (or not) is necessary an indicator of potential, though its not an encouraging sign...but it will be interesting to see how the electronic age we are beginning effects brain development.
I spent my youth reading books, packing-in everything I thought necessary, while my kids are more prone to plinking away at their devices. The level of mental activity may be the same, and I had an interesting conversation with my older daughter the other day - who thought it was so much less important to learn a lot of things, as it was all just a click away on the internet anyway. We'll see.