The Genius in My Basement (2011)

Re:The Genius in My Basement (2011) by perl4ever on Wednesday December 25, 2019 @11:18PM (#21881994)

"When it comes to geniuses, the inability to hold down a job, eccentricity of style, rudeness, etc, are features, not bugs. The potential benefit to society far outweighs the very real inconvenience they cause to the people around them."

I think that this is purely an illusion due to a selection effect.

People associate (technical, scientific, artistic) talent and intelligence with mental illness because the people with mental illness that they are aware of have to have compensating qualities in order to be noticed, achieve notable things, and/or lead anything near a normal life. But the ones that don't, are essentially invisible or easily dismissed (criminals, homeless, not working, etc). It doesn't matter if you're a genius or not, you'd be better off not dragging around a ball and chain.

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Re:The Genius in My Basement (2011) by grabbalacious on Thursday December 26, 2019 @12:05AM (#21882122)

If you look at the historical record you'll find that most geniuses were awkward and eccentric people. They didn't send Christmas cards; they mostly just wanted to be left alone to do their unique, self-chosen work. The 'features' I mentioned are a symptom of that. We underestimate how much focus the average person puts into being nice and conforming to social expectations.

Btw, not advocating those behaviours nor trying to spot geniuses. Can't identify a genius except by his record of creative achievement (as judged by workers in his field).

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