Demonic Genius

“Genius” is most likely a mirage spawned from ignorance of an individual’s circumstance. A placeholder, like string theory or dark matter, for the unexplained gap between capacity from one individual to another.

The most important components of a supposed genius are their inclination to want to think about their chosen field. Further, their capacity to think creatively within it. These two pieces are the most “genius” attributes they can have. However, no one chooses their inclinations.

The deflationary theory of genius is that the genius just happens to do something unthinkable, thought impossible, not because we are in a zero-sum and they are superhuman. They are, at the very most, born with proclivities for fields we are normally not interested in, and allow them to think extraordinarily creatively within those fields. Is that not the same thing?

The importance of divorcing genius from the individual and attributing it to determinism, circumstance, luck, right place right time, is to keep us humble, of course, but to also release tension from damning our brains to be genius, and acknowledge that we are not in control of genius. That “genius”, or rather, acute inclinations and capacity for sharp creativity, is bestowed by forces beyond us and must be respected as such.

“Let’s just look at the word “visionary” and remove the complimentary element of it, and think of it as an objective thing. Some people are maths people, some people see stuff. It’s not like I think that much about like what I’m doing. All I’m really trying to do is get out what I can see. I’m not a “visionary” but it’s me catching up with whatever I’m seeing in my head.” - Matty Healy