The brain is not pre-made but sculpted continuously by experience

Evidence

In this sense—we know this by now—the brain of a pianist is not strictly identical to that of a mathematician, a mechanic, or a graphic artist. But it is obviously not just a person’s ‘‘trade’’ or ‘‘specialty’’ that matters here. The entire identity of the individual is in play: her past, her surroundings, her encounters, her activities; in a word, the ability that our brain—that every brain—has to adapt itself, to include modifications, to receive shocks, and to create anew on the basis of this very reception. … It is precisely because— contrary to what we normally think—the brain is not already made that we must ask what we should do with it, what we should do with this plasticity that makes us, precisely in the sense of a work: sculpture, modeling, architecture. … Education, experience, and training make each brain a unique work. — Catherine Malabou, What Should We Do with Our Brain?, 45

Categorization

• DEFINE: Plasticity is defined here as receiving shocks and creating anew — receiving form is only half of what plasticity does.
• XREF: Directly feeds the reader’s core aim of catching ‘flexibility-only-receives’ substitution in management memos.