Borrowed or new?

Just finished reading the new Malcolm Gladwell book, Blink. It's a great read, but like the Tipping Point before I was left with a somewhat empty feeling. A lot of commentators call Gladwell the newest business guru, and one of the most important. Yet, I see very little fresh thinking in his work. Blink essentially is the story of the latest developments in neuropsychology, in particular the work (which is uncredited) by Robert Heath into Low Involvement Processing. The Tipping Point was built around the work of the economist Thomas Schelling. Is Gladwell a great thinker or is he really a great storyteller who makes science popular?

Comments

[Brandi Brown]

Gareth-
I think Gladwell is both a great thinker and a great storyteller. However, I think his great thinking ability stems from the fact that he is able to take complex topics and make them accessible to the masses. Actually, I think the better term would be "unique thinker".
Brandi

[Gari Cruze]

I agree, Brandi. I mean, I've never heard of Robert Heath. And as great as his research might be, I'm guessing his writing is probably over my head, or at least much harder to grasp than Gladwell's. So if all that Gladwell is bringing is an easier understanding of these topics, I say rock and roll with your bad self, Malcolm.

[Gareth]

I agree with both of you. The point I was trying to make is that I don't think Malcolm is a great business thinker. He is brilliant at making science populist and digestable, and this is what brings it to the masses. That's an important role. I also don't think malcolm considers himself to be a genius thinker. I guess the point of my article was to dig at some lazy journalism that confuses thinking with popularizing.

[will]

i just finished blink as well...it was an interesting read and while i wasn't expecting to learn anything new or revelatory some sections (like the chapters concerning amadou diallo..i live in new york) were very interesting. what i liked about his writing style was that he doesn't try to come off as being some genius thinker.

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