> Contrast with, say, athletes. The very best runners from a century ago wouldn't qualify for the olympics today.
I agree with your point, but this isn't true at all [1]. The rules have changed so dramatically that you get a completely false idea. E.g. Jesse Owens ran on cinders, started without blocks, and did not have a training regimen anything like today's pros.
Perhaps a better argument is that the Stradivarius instruments which survive are not the best few, selected over centuries, but ~60% of all the instruments Stradivari ever made. I.e. he was consistently great.
On the contrary, modern runners are genetically different. Not that the population as a whole is genetically different. Rather because society today casts a much broader net in finding and training individuals who have a strong genetic fitness for running to become competitive runners.
I agree with your point, but this isn't true at all [1]. The rules have changed so dramatically that you get a completely false idea. E.g. Jesse Owens ran on cinders, started without blocks, and did not have a training regimen anything like today's pros.
Perhaps a better argument is that the Stradivarius instruments which survive are not the best few, selected over centuries, but ~60% of all the instruments Stradivari ever made. I.e. he was consistently great.
[1] https://www.ted.com/talks/david_epstein_are_athletes_really_...