The “You Can Do It Too” Narrative
This title could be clearer and more informative.Try out Clickbait Shieldfor free (5 uses left this month).
A philosophical critique of the 'you can do it too' narrative promoted by successful people. The author argues that success is far more luck-dependent than commonly acknowledged, using examples from hockey birth-date statistics, personal family history, and lottery analogies to illustrate survivorship bias. The piece extends beyond individual survivorship bias to show how the collective version — 'you can all do it too' — is statistically impossible given limited positions. It also examines how PhD advisors benefit from students believing hard work guarantees success (via cumulative probability across many students), and explores deeper sources of inequality including inborn talent and unchosen personal tastes. Drawing on John Rawls' Theory of Justice, the author concludes that equal opportunity is necessary but insufficient for justice, since the 'natural lottery' of talent and taste remains arbitrary and morally unjustifiable.
