Chapter 8 is concerned with the practical use of ECT, especially building an ECT-based assessment-guidance system. Four instruments are conceptualized and designed for the purpose: (a) talent potential indicators, which assess aptitudes and dispositions relevant to bioecological effectivities; (b) talent PAS indicators, which assesses characteristic adaptation (CA); (c) talent driver indicators, which assess four types of personal strivings; and (d) talent milestone indicators, which assess achievement or psychosocial milestone events. The first two instruments are mainly for talent identification, and thus are more useful in the exploratory stage of TD, and the last two instruments can be used across the board for assessing where the person stands with respect to the pursuit of excellence. For each instrument, an interpretation scheme is presented to assist in its use for guidance and counseling purposes.

Chapter 5 looks at talent development and human excellence in a broader social-historical conditions and changes. The flourishing of particular forms of excellence in a given historical period or culture is always distinct, due to both cultural values and priorities as well as societal changes in social structure, leisure, and conditions of education. If human excellence reflects high-level self-organized individuality, then sociocultural contexts matter; ECT supports the notion of personal agency in changing the world and changing history, not by traits and genes, notwithstanding their meaningful role, but by cultural evolution that leverages characteristic and maximal adaptation with its niche construction and infrastructure-building to achieve the prosperity and vitality of its members. However, sociocultural conditions (including available technology) also significantly constrain individual strivings as well as how far individuals can go. The Needham Puzzle on the birth of modern science (why it occurred in the West, not China) is discussed, and a comparison is made of Da Vinci and Wang Yangming to demonstrate that any creative act is a sociocultural act, which can change history, yet is constrained by one’s times.

Chapter 3 addresses the question of how TD takes place. Two driving forces emerge as individuals move from early spontaneous actions and reactions to environmental opportunities and challenges to more purposive real and projected actions. One driving force emerging in a personal context of surviving-thriving adaptation is individual niche-picking, which influences the direction and strengths of personal strivings, and the other driving force is cultural selection based on cultural norms and distinction, which determines what is culturally worth supporting given its priorities. These two “invisible hands” jointly regulate one’s characteristic adaptation (CA) in the exploratory stage of talent development, and maximal adaptation (MA) in the systematic developmental stage. Both CA and MA are seen by ECT as self-organizing motivational forces for long-term development. CA allows the person to explore their horizon of possibilities and identify a pathway to success that is most rewarding as well as most achievable, and MA allows the person to seek inner and outer resources to maximize their chance of success. Consequently, a developing person has to show patterns of CA and MA conducive to reaching the highest level of self-organization: building a personal enterprise.

Chapter 7 uses a set of criteria developed by Ford’s living systems approach and Sameroff’s developmental science of the nature–nurture issue to evaluate ECT with respect to whether ECT satisfies these criteria for addressing various aspects of high-level functioning and developmental underpinnings of excellence. Using these criteria, ECT can be viewed as a person-centered theory of talent development and human excellence that is quite versatile in its explanatory power vis-à-vis a wide range of talent achievement phenomena. In comparison with existing component and process models of TD, ECT goes beyond the nature–nurture dichotomy in addressing a deeper issue often neglected in the mainstream scientific discourse, the role of evolving individuality through culture. Looking into the future, the main challenge for ECT is how to align with developmental science, and how to form intertheoretical dialogues with other branches of research on developmental diversity (e.g., developmental psychopathology and developmental criminology) as branches of developmental sciences, all concerned with improving human conditions (i.e., use-inspired).

In September I got an email from Lacy (who worked with Prufrock Press) asking me to provide a list of potential reviewers for my upcoming book. I naturally thought of Larry. But Lacy’s reply put me in disbelief: Larry could not review my book anymore; Larry had passed away.

Chapter 2 addresses the question of what develops; the main argument of ECT is that most talent domains as defined by culture are not genetically programmed or preordained; however, most human accomplishments or excellence we know of are traceable to our ancient, even prehistorical roots when Homo sapiens still lived a hunting-and-gathering life. Therefore, any talent we are familiar with can be seen as a new machine made of “old parts” ever-present in prehistorical times and everyday life, a set of bioecological effectivities that have a long history of serving the surviving-thriving function in human ecology, only gradually to be harnessed and further refined through enculturation and institutionalized education and training, supported by cultural niche construction and infrastructure. Here lies a critical distinction between typical development in an expectant cultural environment and optimal development in a highly enriched one, potentially resulting in social disparities. Along the way, evidence of developmental diversity and divergent pathways suggests spontaneous self-organization of bioecological aptitudes and dispositions in adapting to affordances and challenges presented in a sociocultural environment, laying the foundation the growing person–object or person–world relationships.

Chapter 1 provides an introduction to evolving complexity theory (ECT) of talent development (TD), a new theory that adopts a relational developmental-systems perspective on how talent is developed and human excellence achieved. A developmental-systems theory has to address the questions of what develops, how it develops, when it takes place, where (i.e., social-historical conditions and cultural contexts) it takes place, with each constraining one’s chance of success. Evolving complexity refers to the nature of TD as encompassing biological, experiential, cognitive, and sociocultural aspects in developmental self-organization, resulting in distinct individuality, of which specific talent achievement is a manifestation. ECT distinguishes itself from other TD models in its emphasis on the primacy of action/interaction, and the nature of TD as adaptation to task affordances and constraints. ECT also views TD as the means to an end of creating a productive, fulfilling life, and there are many niches and pathways to excellence within and across domains.

As we have entered the age of artificial intelligence (AI), the Epilogue of this book asks the following questions: Is AI a threat to human excellence, especially with the prospects of superintelligence alleged to outsmart human intelligence soon? Is technological singularity near? What are its implications for human intelligence, talent, and creativity? Is it a harmless speculation of a technological turning point or an advocacy for technological hegemony? As a response to the sentiment that somehow silicon-based intelligence or life (whatever that means!) will replace carbon-based intelligence and life as a dominant force on earth, I point out three fallacies of AI superiority: the omnipotence of technical rationality in solving human problems; the doctrine of “the faster, the better”; and anthropomorphism. Consequently, I bring up the issue of alignment: how the AI community can align or realign AI technology with human purpose or telos. At the end of the day, the human spirit underlying the pursuit of excellence should prevail, so as to inspire new generations of masters and makers, who not only can make instrumental changes but also will preserve human aspirations and inspirations to create a better world, a main impetus of human excellence.

Chapter 9 attempts to spell out implications of ECT for human excellence in the information age, in terms of both advantages and disadvantages. The new century makes the pursuit of excellence more pluralistic, and educational and instructional resources more accessible, which is good. On the other hand, the internet age can also dilute one’s “selective affinity” and make it more difficult to develop a deep interest and a focused line of personal endeavor. Optimistically, production-based education as the legacy of the industrial age will be replaced by a client-based education, where individuals can truly pursue their individual interests and cultivate their own niche for excellence and a productive, fulfilling life, rendering separate gifted and talented programs unnecessary. ECT advocates a school model that promotes human excellence in a way that is scientifically more compelling, socially more equitable, and educationally more productive. Beyond the school wall, ECT suggests building learning ecology and infrastructures at the meso-level (e.g., decentralized talent centers with kindred spirits) that can trickle down to micro-level developmental experiences and interactions, making the pursuit of personal excellence more accessible and more tailored to individual needs.

The Introduction provides a historical as well as theoretical and practical contexts for a new theory of talent development and human excellence. The nature–nurture controversy has lingered for more than a century, likely due to both inherent pro-nature and pro-nurture biases and research paradigms inherently favoring one over the other. The author of this book takes an alternative, nonreductionistic approach, focusing on developmental possibilities as well as constraints for talent achievement, treating developing persons as a source of developmental agency, capable of self-engendered changes and self-organization toward long-term goals, albeit with many hurdles to overcome and many challenges to meet. It provides an overview of the book and specifies three targeted groups of readers who may benefit from this book in their own ways.