That old "what defines genius" discussion

pdg

Once, when I was at a restaurant, the waitress asked me what I wanted to drink. I said, "Water." Her reply (spoken without the slightest hint of sarcasm) was, "Awesome!".

ChrisMartin

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/107212#Comment_107212

Doh !

Twang

Sick post Chris 😁

Phil

'Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.' - Arthur Schopenhauer

scot

Thanks, Phil! That's as perfect a definition of genius as I could imagine.

Lango-Django

There are two kinds of geniuses, the “ordinary” and the “magicians.” An ordinary genius is a fellow that you and I would be just as good as, if we were only many times better. There is no mystery as to how his mind works. Once we understand what they have done, we feel certain that we, too, could have done it.

It is different with the magicians… Even after we understand what they have done, the process by which they have done it is completely dark. They seldom, if ever, have students because they cannot be emulated and it must be terribly frustrating for a brilliant young mind to cope with the mysterious ways in which the magician’s mind works. Richard Feynman is a magician of the highest caliber.

—Mark Kac, quoted by James Gleick in Genius

Teddy Dupont

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/107230#Comment_107230

I think that is a pretty good definition.

Twang

I think that the definition of genius is expressed very clearly here. People are just too quick to label musicians as genius's because they are influenced by their love of the music or other extraneous factors.

It's a funny thing music. I know it's a cliche but throughout our lives we have had to experience people being in awe of our playing when we play the simplest things. Yet when we play something we have spent hundreds of hours trying to perfect, we are treated with indifference.