Where have all the geniuses gone?
I believe the Age of the Genius has come and gone. Sure, we have modern day geniuses, Kurzweil, and Hawking certainly count among them. But the golden age has passed and unless we as a society change, it will never return. I think the notes on Kurzweil's wikipedia entry sums it up pretty well.
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These issues probably plague geniuses in their every day lives too.
Da Vinci, a definite genius drew out designs for tanks, helicopters, parachutes, and many other things that were simply not possible to create in his day because there weren't materials strong enough, or light enough, to make the designs function as designed. Forget about the whole issue of powering the powered devices. These designs weren't published until after his death. I am sure he must have realized that people seeing a design for some amazing thing that they didn't have the technology to build would tarnish his reputation. If it can't be done, it isn't possible right? Therefore if he's designing the impossible, then he must be a nut right?
Prior to him in time genius was next to heresy. We all learned in school about people with great ideas that where seriously pooped upon by organized religion. I'm not picking on organized religion, I'm picking on the poop. People as a rule tend to mock or outright attack what they do not understand. It used to be that organized religion was responsible for stomping out free thinking and radical ideas. Today this task is sponsored by Zoloft and Prozac, and championed by well meaning people who when confronted with something they don't understand, attempt to "help" the situation through intervention, butterfly nets, involuntary institutionalization, and outright ridicule, via the internet.
Before the Industrial Revolution a genius might tell a few friends, or publish a book that only a few could read, and those tended to fear new ideas. During the industrial revolution, mankind's attitude changed and we lived in an age where anything was possible. Edison, Tesla, Bell, Colt, names that defined new ways of seeing and harnessing the world. These radical thinkers became heroes of the age. Now a person of genius has an idea, they probably create a website, the people who fear what they do not understand get a hold of it and ten websites spring up all trying to drag the genius back into the quagmire of normalcy. The people that do not understand, can't even attack the idea well because they don't understand it. Its like what would have happened if Da Vinci had published the design for the helicopter the day after he thought of it. He would have been ridiculed. Him, personally. Sure the ridicule would have been wrapped in a poor understanding of his idea, but they would have attacked the man. If the genius is to survive in this day and age they have to work alone and in secret. They may live and die in poverty believe to be a kook by everyone around them and all because the one missing piece they need to make their idea a reality is brewing in secret in someone else's mind. We have a tool that could allow the genius power of the world to unite into a new golden age of invention and it has been hijacked by Luddites.
It makes me sad to think that I can't grow four inches taller, shoot lightning bolts from my butt, and fly because someone out there is too afraid of being locked up and medicated, by the people who have made the decision that it can't be done because they aren't doing it already.
Thanks for ruining it for the rest of us.
