What makes me a genius?

[esbo]

What makes someone a genius?

 

Anyone know? I don't. Contradiction

[Phi for All]

In your case, I don't think imaginative elasticity is applicable.

[Xittenn]

I have never met anybody who could be called innately 'genius.' My conclusions on the matter have been that in fact there aren't geniuses per se. I would find it difficult to accept any study that concludes with proof of their existence. Any normal healthy brain is just as capable as any other normal healthy brain. The difference between one brain and another is exposure and drive. A young child who contemplates high level mathematics for example, could readily be explained by an exposure to some thought and a willingness to progress beyond the point to which everyone else has progressed. The question that I would pose is, does someone who demonstrates a high level of mental competence excel in all areas or are they limited--maybe physically or socially?

 

If you want to be a genius at something I believe the only solution is adequate time and effort put in. If you happen to start later in life then you will reach your goal at an equally later point--unless you dedicate more time per day than someone you wish to compare yourself to etc. People who have historically excelled at what it was they did, gave up a lot of other things in exchange, and you have to take these factors into consideration. I should probably do some research to back up my points, but I guess I always assumed that most scientists have taken the opposite view, that in fact there are geniuses. I've always disagreed with this view!

[Joatmon]

I guess that Idiot Savants have a brain which is generally accepted as not normal. However, in their very narrow area of expertise perhaps they could be classed as geniuses. The link gives information on the condition at a shallow depth but deeper information is easily obtained. The quote is from the last paragraph and makes me wonder how many of the respected forum members with deep expert knowledge might be so classed.

They say a specialist is someone who learns more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing. At the other end of the scale there are people who know a little about a wide range of subjects - such a person might be tempted to call himself Jack of all trades, master of none (Joatmon)

 

"That's what the Internet is all about. The net is teeming with idiot savants,"

 

http://www.idiotsavant.com/about.htm

Edited May 15, 2012 by Joatmon

[Xittenn]

From a biological perspective we would expect to see differences in a few key components of the brain to account for any anomalous advantage with respect to brain function. Neuron structure and function tends to be fairly homogenous across individuals within the human population. If there seemed to be an increase in the overall speed of a persons thoughts I would expect a variation in myelination. If the individual excelled in terms of memory capacity I might look for changes in overall neural density, or brain size. Sci-Am had this to say about the matter, I would say that the stated findings are more on par with what I originally mentioned despite their attempts at discovering genius.

[michel123456]

I remember a boy in my classroom who was the stereotype of a genius: A.G. was a small bold boy with thick glasses, he used to correct the teachers in all kind of subjects. One very strong feature: communication problems. He was too clever for us, for the teachers, for everybody, and as such he was rejected by the whole school community. I guess a true genius would encounter the same communication problems on places like SFN. For good communication, you need an average level, too low is not good, and too high is not good too.

[Xittenn]

I never understood how having -7.50 dioptre myopia at the age of seven equated to having intellectual prowess. What precisely is the advantage of being blind? I have tried to reason it out and have concluded that in fact this is more of an advantage for a warrior. It's much easier to kill randomly when you don't see their faces or the counter acting weaponry!

[Joatmon]

I never understood how having -7.50 dioptre myopia at the age of seven equated to having intellectual prowess. What precisely is the advantage of being blind? I have tried to reason it out and have concluded that in fact this is more of an advantage for a warrior. It's much easier to kill randomly when you don't see their faces or the counter acting weaponry!

I do hope you are not describing your own extreme short sightedness.

The link confirms that, much to my surprise, intelligence does seem linked to short sightedness.

 

However I think your "warrior" comment was probably tongue in cheek. As a former member of the British Armed forces trained in the use of various weapons (which fortunately I never had to use "in anger") I'm certain that being able to see, select and aim at your enemy with discrimination would be a distinct advantage! Also everyone carrying arms has to abide by rules of engagement.

 

 

www.vision-and-eye-health.com/myopia.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_of_engagement

 

 

 

 

[Xittenn]

I do hope you are not describing your own extreme short sightedness.

The link confirms that, much to my surprise, intelligence does seem linked to short sightedness.

 

However I think your "warrior" comment was probably tongue in cheek. As a former member of the British Armed forces trained in the use of various weapons (which fortunately I never had to use "in anger") I'm certain that being able to see, select and aim at your enemy with discrimination would be a distinct advantage! Also everyone carrying arms has to abide by rules of engagement.

 

 

www.vision-and-eye-health.com/myopia.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_of_engagement

 

 

I think you would be hard pressed to find a study that actually supports how people 'feel' about this relation. As for the warrior thing I was thinking to an earlier time where swords were employed, it is quite a different warfare these days. But really it was meant to be more silly than anything, like the comment that somehow there is a direct relation between near sightedness and intelligence. I mean honestly, I am extremely nearsighted and I hardly demonstrate 'natural' prowess, it has taken me every ounce of my being to get to where I am with academics. It was suggested that stress and lack of outdoor activities might be related to near sightedness, both of which I could reasonably relate to academic activity. That said, I grew up in the forest and spent most of my time in my marsh. I was a stressed out child as my mother would be sure to point out to anybody--I was very busy thinking about astronauts and plasma people in the sun . . .

 

How many intellectual leaders were nearsighted? Not Einstein, Pauli, or Pauling . . . . Shroedinger is an insignificant statistic . . .

[esbo]

I never understood how having -7.50 dioptre myopia at the age of seven equated to having intellectual prowess. What precisely is the advantage of being blind? I have tried to reason it out and have concluded that in fact this is more of an advantage for a warrior. It's much easier to kill randomly when you don't see their faces or the counter acting weaponry!

 

poor eyes sight may lead you develop mental skilsl to compensate for that, even if being not able to read a solution you might have to work it out for yourself for example thus developing built in skill rather than being a highly trained monkey.

 

I never understood how having -7.50 dioptre myopia at the age of seven equated to having intellectual prowess. What precisely is the advantage of being blind? I have tried to reason it out and have concluded that in fact this is more of an advantage for a warrior. It's much easier to kill randomly when you don't see their faces or the counter acting weaponry!

 

On the other hand it is somewhat more easy for your enemy to kill you!!

[Xittenn]

On the other hand it is somewhat more easy for your enemy to kill you!!

 

But you are nearsighted and therefore a genius, and so you can see their every move with your mind!

[Joatmon]

......................... As for the warrior thing I was thinking to an earlier time where swords were employed, it is quite a different warfare these days. But really it was meant to be more silly than anything, like the comment that somehow there is a direct relation between near sightedness and intelligence....................... It was suggested that stress and lack of outdoor activities might be related to near sightedness, both of which I could reasonably relate to academic activity. ..................... I was a stressed out child as my mother would be sure to point out to anybody--I was very busy thinking about astronauts and plasma people in the sun . . .

 

 

Sorry to hear that you are so short sighted but I'm glad that your condition is one that can at least be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. I wonder about laser treatment?

The link I supplied about myopia relates pretty well with your description of your life. It also links myopia to intelligence, which certainly seems to be the case with you.

I realise the "warrior thing" was something of a joke. As an Airman I would never have had to do it but I'll just mention that quite a lot of the fighting in the Falklands was hand to hand with bayonets! The last few yards, even today, sometimes have to be fought in that way. Anyway, enough said about that as it's really a bit off topic.

[SRHBRU]

I think 'genius' is a product of both nature and nurture. You have to be in a nurturing environment where resources to learn is at your disposal as well as be fit mentally to learn.

[StringJunky]

I never understood how having -7.50 dioptre myopia at the age of seven equated to having intellectual prowess. What precisely is the advantage of being blind? I have tried to reason it out and have concluded that in fact this is more of an advantage for a warrior. It's much easier to kill randomly when you don't see their faces or the counter acting weaponry!

 

In terms of effects on intellectual ability, I think, limited sensory input can force a person to use their 'mind's eye' a lot more, to compensate for the damaged/disabled sense, which causes them to learn to extrapolate meaningful information from limited and disparate data input...this action over a long period can give them a powerful and useful imagination. I've a feeling a person with a severe sensory disability develops a kind of Synaethesia to cope and engage with the world around them. Necessity forces them to think 'out of the box' which may have the fortunate effect of giving them novel ways of thinking that is ultimately beneficial to the species.

 

I am a severely deaf person that uses lip-reading and my prior thoughts are based on this experience accumulated over the last fifty years of my life. I can 'hear' people speak with all the apparent sounds/words complete yet I know I can't when tested or they are out of sight.

 

.................................................................................................................................

 

The greater the degree of separation between two pieces of information and yet still be able to connect or correlate them defines genius.

Edited May 25, 2012 by StringJunky

[CaptainPanic]

I cannot back up the following... this post I'm about to write is speculation.

 

I think that some physical disabilities (like extreme short sightedness) might socially isolate kids. So, while the other kids are playing football outside for a few hours every day, the other kid has all those hours, every day again, to himself. That's a lot of study time, in which you can develop all kinds of skills by merely playing. The result of that is almost never anything extreme. I would guess that a significant part of the people I work with were socially relatively isolated as a kid... they were bullied and typically sucked at sports at a young age. That type of kid is really overrepresented in scientific circles.

 

And that leads me to think that most of you might be on the wrong track. It's not a disability that makes the brain compensate and develop some new prowess. I think that the social isolation - however limited or extreme - gives the brain that one thing it needs to develop new skills: lots of time.

 

But I am no expert. I have only one example: me. And I am no genius. I'm an engineer.

[Xittenn]

I have also had a sort of hearing impairment most of my life. My ears get clogged and I get ear infections, where often my ability to hear is affected. For the last few months my ears have been a problem. I get headaches and dizziness that make it difficult for me to think. I don't believe these impairments push anyone in this sort of direction, especially these days where we have corrective devices. I guess there are the exceptional cases where it disables a child, as suggested by CaptainPanic, but I would push to say that these are the more extreme cases.

 

I have to agree with CaptainPanic with regards to activities. I was unable to join into most sporting activities when I was young because my family couldn't afford it. I did manage to scrape together some funds to join martial arts and cadets in my teens, but in all I hadn't spent near the time as many on these sorts of activities. This left me with much free time to pursue more intellectual and creative endeavours that required more imagination. I believe that my activities played the most important role in my personal development, as I am sure it is with most.

[ewmon]

What makes someone a genius?

The ability to perceive, comprehend and manipulate abstract information.

The ability to recognize cause-and-effect, correlation and relationships.

The ability to see the signal through the noise.

Edited May 25, 2012 by ewmon

[Ophiolite]

The ability to see the signal through the noise.

The key point elegantly expressed.

[sammy7]

The ability to perceive, comprehend and manipulate abstract information.

The ability to recognize cause-and-effect, correlation and relationships.

The ability to see the signal through the noise.

 

thats a very good definition i propose one mortal man who was a genius or who was leaps and bounds above others in history id have to say one man....nikola tesla

[too-open-minded]

Einstein said the only reason he found the answers he did was because he thought about questions longer than most people would. He didn't wear socks, would boil an egg in soap water to save time cleaning a pot, He didn't like to carry around change. He was far from the typical person.

 

these are some of my favorite quotes from Albert - "

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."

 

" Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."

 

 

"

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."

"

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?"

 

"Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools."

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."

"Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism - how passionately I hate them!"

"

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination."

"Very few are people that feel with their own hands and see with their own eyes"

" Imagination is more important than knowledge "

"

I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation and is but a reflection of human frailty."

"

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."

 

 

"

I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right."

"

If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed."

"

Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them. "

 

 

"

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity."

"

It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."

I'm sorry I went kind of overboard, just I love Einstein. I dropped out of highschool my senior year and after recentley gaining an interest in physics and learning about Einstein, I found we have very very much in common. I dropped out my senior year 2 months before graduation btw lol.

[Electron]

What makes a genius is genetics, knowledge and what connections your brain makes or can make with that knowledge.