Visionary, mad, melancholy: the features of genius and the essence of genius have raised questions over the centuries the greatest thinkers. A modern philosopher philosophers thought crosses yesterday. At the origin of force and invented creative stream
Find consider the word, and immediately think of an extraordinary mind or a person who has a very great talent. We think of an exceptional being, but human. Italian term genio, genie French, the English genius, genio Spanish, German genie is derived from genius Latini, who was the Romans who oversaw the birth of the god man. Found traces of this divinity and to the word Ingenium, which in Latin means as the nature, the character of a person, even genius, his intelligence.
History of the idea of genius has thus originated in ancient Rome, to be developed during the Renaissance and arriving at its maturity during the eighteenth. In fact, the Romans, as they had in their genius-not ponder much on this argument. Nor did the ancient Greeks, with the exception of Aristotle that reflected on the relations between melancholy temperament and prominent individuals.
After silence during the Middle Ages, Aristotelian thought was made by humanist Marsilio Ficino, the founder of the Academy in Florence Neoplatonic. In his book "De triplici vita" (1489) analyzed the relationship between melancholy philosopher and genius, concluding that melancholy temperament is the mark of creators.
Good quality blood
In later centuries, the term "genius" began to spread and show human creativity in many different areas. Until, finally, in 700's, it was time to elaborate theories of money.
One of the most significant texts of the era is "critical reflections on poetry and painting" (1719) historian and philosopher Jean-Baptiste Du Bos. The researcher interpreted as genius born of creativity factor associated with a "positive organ available brain, a good symmetry of their blood as well as a good quality in mind able to provide the necessary power to the imagination" .
For the first time clearly claimed that skill draws the human mind, as imagination and fantasy, which transcend the limits of reason. A man who has only a high intelligence will not never be a genius (this actually today agrees science) to be find you need to know to imagine or create mind what the reason is not able to conceive. And what makes a great tune with a great imagination? Innovate. As he wrote Alexander Gerard in his book "En Essay on Genius" (1774): "The genius is perhaps the power of invention, by which a person is qualified to implement new discoveries in science or produce art original works".
According to Gerard, this natural ability and innate invention in the field of art takes the form of the creation of an original work and that science has the features of a new discovery, can be cultivated through culture, but it is ultimately a gift or a born talent, who "know" can create. Then genius is something innate nature or a divine gift that can not be obtained or transmitted, and that security is maintained unchanged in subsequent philosophical theories.
With or without rules
Toward the end of the eighteenth, the genius were two schools of thought. The first came from the German cultural movement Sturm und Drang (storm and impetus) and said that genius is too much, irregular and contrary to all laws. Goethe wrote: "It takes time before you say that genius is an individual force that provides laws and norms through action and deed. At that time only perceived as a force that overcomes the existing laws, reversing rules and proclaiming the boundless ".
On the other hand appear more authoritative voice of one of the thinkers who over all has worked the genius, the German Immanuel Kant. In 1790, in "Critique of Judgment" he elaborated the idea of genius like talent for creating that "gives art rules". According to the philosopher, works of art (art, science never. For Kant only genius in creating artistic encounters) is a new product, absolutely original, that does not depend on simple application of existing rules. And as far as primarily natural talent, genius is a gift that makes him human. Thus, the genius operates the "genius" of his, as if nature is to act through it. As far as genius mind "does not know" how it operates, it is inspired by her grace, makes wonderfully what it does, but not know how to explain "how".
Divine creative force
In the nineteenth century Europe return to religious feelings reflected in philosophical speculation on genius. German philosopher and literary critic Friedrich Shlegel is one of the greatest theoreticians of the new approach: to genius is a prominent figure and almost divine excellence that unites the world, with finitin infinity, divinity with humanity. Creativity of genius, according to Schlegel is not it genius or talent. It's more of a divine creative force that overcomes the limits of man and his rationality. Genius can therefore be folly borders. Creative artist is not the one who "gives art rules", but an unusual individual able to grasp a truly superior, to enter into communication with the absolute.
Even in the opinion of Artur Shpenhauerit turn the theme of eccentricity: thinker great German saw genius as someone extraordinary, very different from the common man and so foolish as to forget the physicality of his body, he needs his small the daily to abandon a kind of aesthetic and visionary delirium. With Romanticism, the path of human genius and it's with great talent was divided. Nikolaj Berdjaev in his 1916 "The sense of creation" wrote: "Nature genius can be consumed without any value embedded in the world. As usual talent creates value and valued as a value in itself. He has the talent to move and swing. To genius has always a lack of action. The nature of genius is always revolutionary. "
Today, what remains of this long history of thought are two different ways to interpret the genius: genius as natural talent and creates an original way; as creative genius of immense strength and abnormally. In both cases, what distinguishes genius is creative ability. No matter whether divine or human origin, remains a precious gift from which few human beings can benefit.
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Gottfried Mind was a little boy, too late. He could not write, did not even have the slightest idea on mathematics and was only able to express basic concepts. One day (we are at the end of 700), observing Hendenberger as Sigmund painter painting a village scene, stopped a leak and shook his head: "This is not cat", he said. Painter smiled and gave up the pen. The boy was not impressed. And he made a masterpiece. Mind, which later became for all Raphael of cats, was an idiot Savant, a term that will introduce a century later by the doctor John Landon Down (known because he has given the name syndrome associated with trisominë of chromosome 21 ) for those individuals who, apart from a few highly developed skills, mental skills are generally smaller than average. Savant (last idiot was abandoned soon) were also twins New Yorkers George and Charles Finn, who lived in the last century and are nicknamed "calendars human" were able to say what day of the week shoot in whichever date in a time span of eighty thousand years; inter alia amounted to remember the meteorological conditions every day of their lives. For if you asked "how do two two" stood silent and looked around confused.
Savant was "the blind Tom" Wiggins, an African American blind and mentally retarded who nevertheless played the piano like a virtuoso unrivaled, was enough to hear a melody only once to reproduce perfectly then.
Superpower frequent among Savant-ordinator, has always been the memory, from memory to the excellence of the entire network of buses to the city up to memorizing pages of all the lists telephone until ripdohimin the route traversed during trips different, including the right or left turns. The most famous was probably Kim Peek (who died in 2009), who was able to recall verbatim reading books (with an impressive speed). Inter alia perform complex calculations in a very short time. It was his story that inspired the character of Raymond Babbit in the movie Rain Man, who gave an Oscar to his performers, Dustin Hoffman.
But the origins of these superpowers? In the past it was thought that these exceptional abilities were probably a gift from God that gave people born unlucky. Today, there are other hypotheses.
Memory skills and mathematical in some cases appear to be contingent on the ability to color and excitement associated with information "cool" as numbers, is called sinestezia, a rare condition that brings the senses contamination. More generally thought that whoever is born with the ability of memory often has a tendency to develop the other skills: to many Savant th is observed an injury to the left hemisphere, which is linked to logical reasoning and language, which can be offset with a strengthening of the right hemisphere, more creative, more musical and spatial gifted.
A starting point for the attempted explanation is the fact that at least half of the cases, Savant-s autism. Underlying this situation is thought to be the ability to understand through imitation: Well, who has not suffered natural inclination to learn as others and so is forced to develop alternative learning strategies. It is no coincidence that "islands" of intelligence superior seem to be concentrated in sectors that can be strengthened without interacting with anyone (memory, music, painting, the sense of time ...) This applies above all to Asperger's syndrome, that form of autism in which social skills but not compromised perceptual and cognitive abilities. "Asperger" -s are attracted by abstract reasoning, as it mathematical, and all activities that aim to list things like ratings. Otherwise uninterested in interaction with other human beings, whose messages, often bazyar in double meanings and wordplay are incomprehensible to them. It's easy to nuihasësh that, with so many different mental world, the brain will follow an unpredictable path, to the point that develop skills that can look like a superpower.
According to some speculations are thought to have been affected by the syndrome of Asperger some of the greatest geniuses of all times, among them Isaac Newton in 700's and Albert Einstein in 900's, biographies of whom discover extraordinary abilities associated with a trend social very rare. Almost certainly suffered from its Scottish chemist Henry Cavendish (1731-1810). Reportedly open walls to move from one house to another room unnoticed.
