GENIUS: IS IT REAL? WHAT IS IT?

Growing up in the 1970s, my family, my teachers and the media were all pretty consistent on one topic. Some people were born geniuses, while the rest of us mere mortals weren’t.

The two figures everyone seemed to point to on this topic were Leonardo Da Vinci and Albert Einstein. Our role models might also toss in Michelangelo, Shakespeare or Sir Isaac Newton as examples of larger-than-life geniuses.

In those days, teachers and other educated people tended to link genius with the idea of IQ. Teachers dutifully tested all their students’ IQs, and if any of us scored above 140 (which, to nobody’s surprise, counted me out), they would be ranked as a genius in-the-making.

GENIUS NOTION IS AS OLD AS CIVILIZATION

The notion of a genius is as old as civilization. In the ancient world, people believed that a “genius” was a kind of guardian sprit or daemon that guided and inspired chosen people with creativity, inspiration and talent.

During the Renaissance, the Italian architect, painter and writer Giorgio Vasari made a major contribution to the ongoing idea of the genius. He celebrated particularly influential artists in his 1550 book, The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects.

Vasari’s book is one of the main reasons we think of Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael as the great creative geniuses of the Renaissance. In fact, Vasari also helped to popularize our modern idea of the “Renaissance man.”

“A THING BESTOWED BY GOD”

In his book, Vasari wrote, “Sometimes, in supernatural fashion, beauty, grace, and talent are united beyond measure in one single person.” He goes on to describe this talent as, “a thing bestowed by God (as it is), and not acquired by human art.”

Dr. Ray McDermott is a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He studies literacy and language, educational policy, family issues and special education.

These days, Professor McDermott is focusing on the history of ideas like genius, intelligence, race and capital. He published a groundbreaking paper, Situating Genius, in the journal Counterpoints in 2006.

CHALLENGES THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF GENIUS

Situating Genius challenges the whole concept of genius. It concludes by saying, “Theories of genius are not in our lives to help us explain differential learning; they are part of what must be explained, accounted for and confronted.”

Dr. Ryan Skinnell is an associate professor of rhetoric and writing in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at San Jose State University. He’s been studying how politicians, public figures and everyday people use persuasive language to persuade other people about issues for the past 12 years.

This week, the online publication JSTOR Daily published an article by Professor Skinnell entitled The Destructive Myth of Universal Genius building on Professor McDermott’s work. In it, he argues that the the idea of “universal genius,” which he describes as “divinely-ordained, uniquely insightful, applicable across any domain of knowledge,” leads society down a destructive path.

JUSTIFICATION FOR COLONIALISM, SLAVERY AND OPPRESSION

According to Professor Skinnell, the perception that genius is essentially “unique, innate and untutored” was part of the European justification for colonialism, slavery and cultural genocide.

The most troubling example of the concept of universal genius, Professor Skinnell argues, is Adolf Hitler. He makes the case that Hitler’s carefully crafted image as a universal genius won him widespread public support while shielding him from criticism.

The public believed without evidence that Hitler’s blunders were either the fault of his underlings or part of a larger plan beyond the public’s understanding. Similarly, they viewed his early successes, such as disregarding the Treaty of Versailles and occupying the Rhineland without opposition, as proof of his superior ability and not as rash actions he got away with through his adversaries’ complacency and sheer luck.

MUSSOLINI, STALIN AND MAO HAD REPUTATIONS AS GENIUSES

Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse Tung also had reputations as universal geniuses. Each of them ended up responsible for the deaths of millions.

As a result, Professor Skinnell argues that people stopped thinking of political leaders as universal geniuses after the Second World War and during the Cold War. Even so, he believes similar cults of personality have arisen around business leaders like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Donald Trump in our information age.

Returning to Vasari’s book about Renaissance artists, Professor Skinnell concludes, “Universal genius is one aspect of his worldview we’d do do well to rid ourselves of altogether.”

“WORLDVIEW WE’D DO WELL TO RID OURSELVES OF ALTOGETHER”

I can certainly relate to Professor Skinnell’s point about Donald Trump. He’s clearly the worst president in the history of the United States.

Yet, his many followers often insist he’s playing a game of three-dimensional chess that everyday people simply can’t grasp. Trump’s frequent claims that nobody knows more about any given topic than he does. deviously take advantage of the universal genius notion.

We’ve all heard Thomas Edison’s famous quote that “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Professor Andy Letcher has proposed a third factor to that equation, “aspiration.”

AND ANOTHER THING…

Personally, I agree that what we call genius is a blend of countless hours of work and practice combined with an aspiration toward personal growth. The notion of a born genius strikes me as unfair to those who excel and a convenient excuse for the rest of us who don’t.

To be clear, Professor Skinnell concedes that, “there is no shortage of people throughout history that have been expansively educated, deeply thoughtful and profoundly accomplished. Understanding why is a worthy pursuit.”

We always have more to learn if we dare to know.

Learn more:

The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects

Situating Genius

The Destructive Myth of the Universal Genius

Subjective Memories Drive Our Decision Making

Neuromyths: No, You Don’t Have a Learning Style!

It’s Hard (But Good for You) to Be Humble