Elf Sternberg

When you say that certain famous figures are famous for being famous, rather than for their achievements, you nullify a priori any name I mention […]

Not at all!

People who achieve great things will become well known. But the question is: do they become well known for those achievements? Or do they merely become famous?

I discussed this with epinoid last night as we were dozing off, and he feels that in the US, Being Famous matters to the exclusion of the achievement(s) that made you well known.


So, I'm saying that famous people should be famous for what they achieved, but that in the US, that's not the case. In the US, if your achievements are intellectual or artistic (instead of sports, movies, TV, or pop-music), it is extremely unlikely that you will become well-known. For the rare few that become famous for intellectual achievements, their fame will be all that's remembered, the achievements ignored and forgotten.

My children, however, are being raised here, and they have been informed admiringly by their schools of some wonderful figures, ones who inspire both of them to excel. […] I speak with parents from across the U.S., and their kids are having the same kind of experiences […]

This makes sense. You wouldn't send your kids to a school that didn't do this. And, I have to wonder if you'd give parents who didn't value knowledge and learning any time. (Note that I say "knowledge" and "learning", not "education." Everyone thinks "education" is important. But do they encourage their kids to play chess, read, or do math puzzles? Or encourage them to take up football?) I know that I certainly wouldn't!