Future Leaders or Social Outcasts?

The obsession with gifted children is an ancient one, but it took on new life in the 20th century.

IQ testing using a ‘form board’, US, 1955.
IQ testing using a ‘form board’, US, 1955 © Hulton Getty Images.

Debates about ‘gifted’ children are fundamentally about human flourishing and enhancement. They also reflect broader concerns about the future and about the roles and responsibilities of governments, parents, professionals and young people. There have even been claims that gifted children will be able to save the world – but only if adults recognise their abilities and push them to fulfil their potential.

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