Think About It. Genius. The word, like other superlatives, is bandied about so freely as to render it less valuable than originally intended. The genius was special, not just currently impressive for some practiced skill. Certainly we admire dominant sports figures, at least for feats of daring do in their athletic profession. The dancing grace of Fred Astaire approached ascendency with almost any of his chosen partners including a coat rack. Albert Einstein wrote some pretty complicated formulas (formulae?) expressing his theories. All geniuses?
Some well known students of the subject have attempted to find the relationship of IQ to the status of genius. While it seems a logical concurrence, I’ve known a number of proud Mensa members who not only lacked common sense, but didn’t seem to have an original thought. It just seems to me that originality is required for the designation. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the word itself suggests inherited special ability. Some say not true. Robert Greene’s contrarian thesis in Mastery is that we are all geniuses if we work hard enough. I don’t think he worked hard enough, so I don’t nominate him.
Many great thinkers noted a relationship between obsessively focused original thinking and maladaptive traits, the tendency to fail at supporting themselves or profiting financially from their philosophical or mechanical breakthroughs. Socrates recognized his predecessor Thales as the first philosopher but ridiculed him for falling “into the mire while gazing at the stars”. Eighteen centuries later Arthur Schopenhauer offered,”Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.” That falls into the KISS advice category.
Wonderful Wikipedia spends nearly 5000 words exploring the concept with only a passing reference to inspiration, the distinction that really separates extra-social focus from extraordinary originality. Of course inspiration brings up the question of the role an encompassing organizing force (God?) has in selective assignment of singular gifts. The “free encyclopedia that anyone can edit” does note that whether the notion itself has any real meaning has long been a subject of debate. If you don’t believe in a special source of ability for some special people, please explain to me the lifelong original and prolific work of Mozart. At three, young Wolfgang played piano. At five he began composing and never stopped (excepting in mid-life genius poverty) while creating operas, concertos, symphonies and sonatas that have affected the way we hear what is called “classical” music today.
Someday we’ll share the story of how Mary and I got together with the help of Pulitzer prize winner John Kennedy Toole whose only known novel was published long after he wrote himself out of life’s story. Toole borrowed the title from satirist Jonathan Swift’s definition. “When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in a confederacy against him.” I’ll go along with that definition of Genius. Think About It.