Genius: A Closer Look at Extraordinary Mental Power

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The discussion centers around the concept of genius, highlighting a specific individual with extraordinary mental abilities, including photographic memory and fluency in over twenty-five languages, yet facing unemployment due to pride and social challenges. Participants reflect on the nature of genius, questioning whether it is defined by innate capacity or the ability to harness that potential effectively. Experiences with various geniuses are shared, illustrating the diverse manifestations of intelligence and the struggles some face in traditional educational or professional environments. The conversation also touches on the societal perceptions of genius and the impact of personal circumstances on their success. Overall, the thread explores the complexities of being a genius in contemporary society.

Have you ever known a genius?


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By Genius I refer to a person with extraordinary mental power. :-p

My dad told me about a friend of his; his roommate in high-school who was a genius. I was completely mesmerized! As my dad told me: He could solve problems no teacher could, he could remember tiny, tiny details that no one could (photographic memory?), he enrolled in a highly regarded college in my country and topped all main and extra subjects and was a champion in chess there. He is around 50 years old and continues to study and learn for many hours a day and understands over twenty-five languages (that is a mere estimate). He has a great grip on history and can relate historical events better than any history professor (can do things like filling up of words of an old language on an obliterated stone tablet!). In short, he has an extraordinary brain power.

There is a bit of problem though - he is apparently unemployed, seemingly because his pride. He does not want to work under anybody (which is justified). But then he doesn't publish anything on his own either (despite motivation from friends), and yet continues to study on and teach his kids! He also seemingly isn't the best socially (is that not with all geniuses?).

That was just a little *I am learning English, please suggest a word to put in this space*.

But have YOU ever known a genius? Please participate in the poll if you haven't.

:smile:
 
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My experience has been that genius' are ten times smarter than they should be. :-)

What is a genius? One that has the capacity, or one that can harness their capacity?
 
A lot of geniuses post here. They're 16, have 188 IQs, are self-studying integration, and want to study physics and math all day and make major breakthroughs. But Einstein had an IQ of 240 and knew calculus at 4--should they just give up now because they have no chance in life?

I see that you only have two posts, so you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Give it a few days and you likely will.
 
I'm the only person I know smarter than me.

To be fair, I'm probably not as smart as Tobias. Only 133 posts and he already knows how polls work on PF.
 
Channel 4 showed a competition on TV to find the brightest child in Britain. Here's a trailer:



It was impressive, hilarious and terrifying all at the same time.
 
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Sorry I thought the poll said genus.
 
BobG said:
I'm the only person I know smarter than me.

Only a genius could say something like that!
 
BobG said:
To be fair, I'm probably not as smart as Tobias. Only 133 posts and he already knows how polls work on PF

Lol, that isn't an easy thing to do!
 
I worked for one for about three years.
Took me several months to figure out what he was.
They're not all the same... this one was imminently practical, equally at home rebuilding his airplane engine , designing electronics , or arguing nuclear physics with PHD's.
 
  • #10
I knew a guy who looked and acted like a genius, smart, nerdy, and all that, but when he hit college, it was like he slammed into a brick wall. He was a couple of years behind me, so I couldn't say for sure what did him in: being away from home for the first time, living with a lot of strangers, the pace of the work and the amount of studying to be done in a limited time, or what. He lasted one semester, then poof!, never heard from again.
 
  • #11
Well , I've met Wayne Gretzky.I guess that's not what you were looking for but that's all I have.
 
  • #12
I don't believe in ghosts.
 
  • #13
I met P. A. M. Dirac once, when I was a grad student. Does he qualify?
 
  • #14
Why does this poll allow multiple answers?
 
  • #15
Dembadon said:
Why does this poll allow multiple answers?

Paradox :-p
 
  • #16
Dembadon said:
Why does this poll allow multiple answers?

A genius might meet a genius!:-p
 
  • #17
Lisa! said:
A genius might meet a genius!:-p

Exactly!
 
  • #18
I am a genius. Simple.
 
  • #19
I doubt many of us will ever meet a genius on the level of say a John Von Neumann (who was so smart that some of the smartest scientists at his time thought even he was an alien from another planet), but some of my professors have been freakishly intelligent.
 
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