Genius

[goofyfish]

What is your definition of true genius?

It's always very impressive to hear people quote the likes of Sun Tsu, Thoreau or Nietzsche, but what impresses me the most are those who have learned from their own experiences and utilize the moment to be the teacher and educate any and all who are looking for new areas of thought and reason.

My definition: Original thought which is profound enough to move the greatest intellects, but practical enough to be applied to the common man's daily life.

Peace.

[Chagur]

True genius: Richard Feynman - Physist, educator, and bongo player!

Take care ;)

[ImaHamster2]

And Feynman the prankster.

[Chagur]

As Stephen Hawking referred to him in "A Brief History of Time":

"The physicist's physicist."

Take care :)

[Pollux V]

Genius is someone or something that absorbs every morsel of data and intelligence around it as it grows and matures. It then draws it's own conclusions on the world around it based on many sources of truthful information.

[Congrats]

Genious is the ability to fit the most unconventional idea into a small, incredibly simple package that goes with the previous intellectual world right away. It doesn't have anything to do with the amount of knowlege amassed, or even the type of knowlegde amassed. It has to do with how the person who created the idea can understand it well enough to put it into the frame of reference that exists without the idea.

[Bohemian Nightmare]

this is a tricky subject.
i think, traditional nothions of 'genius' have always been conscerned with those who process quickly. but the thing is, many people dont have the ability to asimilate like lightning, but can still come with brilliant conclusions on their own time. asimilation has always been the means to determin intelligence but i think this is a fatal mistake for reasons i just said. i believe there are many different types of intelligense and they often dont relate to each other. so someone can be a brilliant musician but not add up 7 + 8. i would say that a genius is simply someone who can excel in a given field. but remember there are many fields. yeah.

[Tyler]

I would like to add something to this older thread. I think genius is someone who can formulate ideas through experiences like goofy said rather than having read Thus Spoke Zarathustra 8 times and memorized the lines. I think the few people I've met who could take the most complex ideas and make them seem perfectly logical and explain them in simple English always impressed me as genius.

[Xev]

The ability to make information into theory.

The ability to take facts and understand how they fit together, how they relate to the whole. Thats why genius requires hard work, but hard work alone is not enough. You have to have the ability to relate it all. I don't think speed has much to do with it.

My favorite Feynman story is about a time when he was chatting with several physicists, and Murray Gell-Man (a very brilliant scientist) was describing his trip to Montreal.

Gell-Man was very anal-retentive about proper pronounciation, and confused the group by pronouncing it correctly; "Mon-TRAY-AlGH". Or some such, in any case, impeccable pronounciation but incomprehensible.

Feynman turns to him very coolly, and says;

"Don't you think that the purpose of language is communication?"

[ismu]

There are several factors to make a person have a great thought

- Thinking fast --> IQ. They said that have high IQ is genius.

- Thinking accurate --> This will results less mistakes. Also related with IQ test.

- Wise --> Have right feeling or references in judgement of what is right and wrong. EQ test.

- Thinking deep --> Able to consider many factors and probabilities related to current subject. Works well on chess-master.

- Well organized thinking --> Requires good method of thinking. The mothods can be learnt via education, such as scientific method to solve problems.

- Have a good memories --> Can rememember lots of things.

- Experience and knowledge --> Knew lots of things to be used as references. This mostly depends on one's environment.

- Intuitive --> This guy have lots of ideas pops up wich nobody else can think about it.

- Creative --> Similar with intuitive but in combine several ideas to solve problems applicatively.

So... it seems that genius is thinking fast and accurate, according to defiinition in IQ test. Perhaps we should looking for right title for people such as Sun Tsu, Thoreau or Nietzsche.

[Adam]

A genius = someone who does not eat at McDonalds.

[Asguard]

In that case adam its ME:D

I eat at red roster (i LOVE there chicken)

[Magic~Carpet~Ride]

It's all about communication. Many of us have bright ideas, earth shaking realisations, and the like, (particularly after a night using some very fine artificial intelligence enhancers) but how many of us communicate these ideas to others? At the time, yes... then tomorrow its all gone. An idea had by only one person and never communicated is lost.

A physicist who can understand and create the theory, form a hypothesis, and make his colleagues understand and apply it is the one who will be seen as genuius.

An artists who communicates feeling through painting, music... and makes the audience see what he sees.. genius.

[kmguru]

Does that mean, the world's richest man is not a Genius (or is he?) - who used his super brain to get there, but not a Mensa member?

Was Buddha a Genius - who attained the highest in Maslov's heirarchy - a state of bliss?

Was Christ a Genius, who offered humanity love, hope and fellowship?

Was the inventor/discoverer of antibiotic a Genius?

Is Genius just a word like "the"... that is really hard to define?

[BustedCrutch]

Etymology: Latin, tutelary spirit, natural inclinations, from gignere to beget
Date: 1513
1 a plural genii : an attendant spirit of a person or place b plural usually genii : a person who influences another for good or bad
2 : a strong leaning or inclination : PENCHANT
3 a : a peculiar, distinctive, or identifying character or spirit b : the associations and traditions of a place c : a personification or embodiment especially of a quality or condition
4 plural usually genii : SPIRIT, JINNI
5 plural usually geniuses a : a single strongly marked capacity or aptitude <had a genius for getting along with boys -- Mary Ross>

I first thought, "Cmon guys, its the IQ thing." But after reading the replies, I found the abstract ideas associated with genius has really hit the head on what the good ol red book says.

[jjhlk]

Originally posted by kmguru
Does that mean, the world's richest man is not a Genius (or is he?) - who used his super brain to get there, but not a Mensa member?

Was Buddha a Genius - who attained the highest in Maslov's heirarchy - a state of bliss?

Was Christ a Genius, who offered humanity love, hope and fellowship?

Was the inventor/discoverer of antibiotic a Genius?

Is Genius just a word like "the"... that is really hard to define?

If you define the word genius like I do, then the worlds richest man wasn't a genius. (Bill Gates or a Prince?) Being a prince is just luck, being Bill Gates was lots of intelligence, but not a genius.

A genius is just someone with an intelligence substantially higher than most people. As measured by the IQ test. They can usually calculate things very quickly and have exellent memories. But becoming a genius just happened to be luck. BTW, wasn't the word 'genius' pretty much made up FOR the IQ test, in which case it no longer would be so hard to define for people?

Siddhartha was enlightened, he wasn't a genius.

Chirst probably didn't exist, but if he did, I highly doubt he was a genius. Because, I don't think his niceness has too much to do with his intelligence.

The guy who invented antibiotics (penicillin?) did so by accident. He wasn't a genius, he was lucky. He was also pretty smart, but not at that high a level.

[kmguru]

A genius is just someone with an intelligence substantially higher than most people. As measured by the IQ test.

What does "IQ test" test when you are 75 years old? And who are the lucky geniuses? If someone did not take the IQ test or we do not know the results, can he ever be a genius (like Bill Gates who seem to have higher IQ than most people....and a single strongly marked capacity or aptitude )

[jjhlk]

Originally posted by kmguru


What does "IQ test" test when you are 75 years old? And who are the lucky geniuses? If someone did not take the IQ test or we do not know the results, can he ever be a genius (like Bill Gates who seem to have higher IQ than most people....and a single strongly marked capacity or aptitude )

The IQ test tests your intelligence. It's just one scale of intelligence. There are other IQ tests as well. And some are based on many factors, age included.

Lucky geniuses are people who were born with genius intelligence. Your intelligence is partially genetic. And how much of it that you acheive is probably based on how you were raised.

The IQ test doesn't have to determine that you are a genius, but it is one way to do it.

[kmguru]

The IQ test tests your intelligence.

How? Is it like a pH test or voltage test or amp test or pregnency test? If we can not agree on the definition of Intelligence, how does the test help? can a person who is blind or deaf take the test? What does that measure?.....

[Tyler]

Intelligence is ability to retain and analyze information.

[jjhlk]

"How? Is it like a pH test or voltage test or amp test or pregnency test? If we can not agree on the definition of Intelligence, how does the test help? can a person who is blind or deaf take the test? What does that measure?....."

Ah thats right! We dip some paper in you and if it's red --- Genius!

Blind or deaf people could take the test with some help.. Blind, deaf, mute, people who are completely numb could have some problems!

The IQ (intelligence quotient) test measures your IQ: The ratio of tested mental age to chronological age, usually expressed as a quotient multiplied by 100.

"Intelligence is ability to retain and analyze information."

Sounds good to me.

When we talk about intelligence I think it means pure ability to think. The test will not measure creativity, etc...

Edit:

I don't think creativity should be included as part of the definition of intelligence.

[kmguru]

Ah thats right! We dip some paper in you and if it's red --- Genius!

Now you are talking....and I thought the universe will reveal its secret...:D

"Intelligence is ability to retain and analyze information."

I agree with the sentence but have a problem with what comes after. You see, a lot of people can retain data but not the associative information. Then comes the analysis part. How can you measure who can analyze better? No test I know of can measure information in multidimension. Then there is degrees. Some can do well in 3 or 4 layers while others can go up to 6 or 8.

The reason I bring this up is that, I am involved in a project that has over 500 dimensions. We are trying to reduce it to a managegable 64. But then it will be difficult to analyze because we may miss out stuff. Even at 64, we need basically a mainframe to handle the data.

Then the part where information is lacking. Yet people have discovered all kinds of stuff under such limited conditions. Then there is the time factor. Is not being slow and correct (methodical - by the book) is better than fast and half assed...

[Tyler]

Perhaps my sentance needs expression too. Intelligence seems also include people who can take a complicated idea and form a simple description of it for those less intelligent.

"How can you measure who can analyze better?"

Puzzles. Pattern recognition. Mathematical problems which represent the cultural difference of taker. Word problems.

[kmguru]

Originally posted by Tyler
"How can you measure who can analyze better?"

Puzzles. Pattern recognition. Mathematical problems which represent the cultural difference of taker. Word problems.

Does not work. We hired high scorerers in psyc test that included these tests for our "data analysts" positions - they could not associate real life situations with the math or puzzle, even after training. Too many variables overwhelmed them.

[Nebula]

Someone who thinks of something I wish I had thought of first is a genius.

[Avatar]

genius- a highly creative mind that isn't afraid or shy about his ideas and believes in himself.

[Meowdar]

I agree that a genius can construe otherwise complex information into something lucid for the average person, but can't anyone? What makes a genius a genius is the ability to perform the mentioned feat consistently and frequently. I think the IQ test is relevant for discerning genius, but not for everyone.
* * * *
Do genii have higher encephalization quotients than the average person?

[Johnny D]

gen·ius
n. pl. gen·ius·es

1.) Extraordinary intellectual and creative power.
2.) A person of extraordinary intellect and talent: “One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius” (Simone de Beauvoir).
3.) A person who has an exceptionally high intelligence quotient, typically above 140.
4.) A strong natural talent, aptitude, or inclination: has a genius for choosing the right words.
5.) One who has such a talent or inclination: a genius at diplomacy.
6.) The prevailing spirit or distinctive character, as of a place, a person, or an era: the genius of Elizabethan England.
pl. ge·ni·i (jn-) Roman Mythology. A tutelary deity or guardian spirit of a person or place.
7.) A person who has great influence over another.
8.) A jinni in Muslim mythology.

My personal thoughts/ideas/opinions aren't important right now - I have to go. Later.

[jjhlk]

I think some of you are putting too much thought into the word 'genius'. I'm pretty sure that genius is just a technical term for someone with high intellect. (which is >135 on the IQ test..)

[Xenu]

I think some of you are putting too much thought into the word 'genius'. I'm pretty sure that genius is just a technical term for someone with high intellect. (which is >135 on the IQ test..)

High IQ doesn't mean high intellect.


It's all just semantics, but a genius to me is someone who utterly creates their own reality and has the courage and ability to live in that reality. A leap of faith towards one self.

ooo, I like that.

-Xenu