Genius and Insanity

Diana

Diana

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Do you think there is a connection between genius and insanity.
Or is that just something insane people say to make themselves feel better. lol

Discuss...
 
From my experience, the phrase "there's a fine line between genius and insanity" rings true.

People I've known who are vastly more intelligent than myself tend to get caught up in all sorts of mental and emotional loops which they don't perceive as insane, but observers do.

Trouble is, geniuses and insane folks alike have a knack for justifying their loops.
 
Sometimes I wonder if "Insane" isn't anything but a subjective assessment of "Genious". People see geniuses as insane only because they were the first of us to push boundaries of what is the norm at the time. Once the norms have changed, they become "genius" revolutionaries.

I think they distinct concepts. Insane is one without sanity. Genius is one with a different sanity. People mix the two because they aren't the individual in question, and so they have a subjective perception of the said genius, or said insane.

I think they're two different kinds of people. It is hard for us to discern one from the other though, because we see them both as abnormal.
 
Odyne said:
Sometimes I wonder if "Insane" isn't anything but a subjective assessment of "Genious". People see geniuses as insane only because they were the first of us to push boundaries of what is the norm at the time. Once the norms have changed, they become "genius" revolutionaries.

I think they distinct concepts. Insane is one without sanity. Genius is one with a different sanity. People mix the two because they aren't the individual in question, and so they have a subjective perception of the said genius, or said insane.

I think they're two different kinds of people. It is hard for us to discern one from the other though, because we see them both as abnormal.
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+1
 
Odyne said:
Sometimes I wonder if "Insane" isn't anything but a subjective assessment of "Genious". People see geniuses as insane only because they were the first of us to push boundaries of what is the norm at the time. Once the norms have changed, they become "genius" revolutionaries.

I think they distinct concepts. Insane is one without sanity. Genius is one with a different sanity. People mix the two because they aren't the individual in question, and so they have a subjective perception of the said genius, or said insane.

I think they're two different kinds of people. It is hard for us to discern one from the other though, because we see them both as abnormal.
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+2 And fact is, when humans don't understand something, we tend to call it crazy or insane. It's easier for us to think this than to simply acknowledge that we don't understand it.
 
i think genius uses the suspension of disbelief (creativity) as a tool to manipulate reality in a way that it believes will be beneficial for the target person/people involved.

insanity on the other hand has no control over disbelief, as seen in serious schizophrenic cases. this lack of connection to reality is often harmful/debilitating for the person involved.

so its like although they use the same bridge to get there, they're headed in opposite directions lol.
 
Eccentricity

strange and unconventional behavior
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Insanity

relatively permanent disorder of the mind
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I would say genius is more linked to eccentricity than insanity.
 
I would only consider people who are outlandishly bent on destruction of others or themselves to be insane. If a person merely shows interest in the unexplained or makes connections between things that are unusual, or has an enigmatic intelligence to them, I wouldn't consider them to be insane. I'd say the difference between being an unusual person and being a genius is that, while some people seem odd to others, but do nothing to move anything forward; genuises use their ideas to broaden their understanding and often to better the world and advance human knowledge.
 
I think society calls insane people that can rationalize the millions of things running in their head a Genius. Plus, I secretly think that genius's argue with each other just as much as an insane person's thoughts.

example:

Genius thought no 1: Let's make a highly structured network that connects all computers in the world!
Genius thought no 2: But you like your privacy.
Genius thought no 1: Yes connecting the world in a web does sound scary.
Genius thought no 2: But you can talk to the world!
 
The more you know, the more you are unable to ignore.

I tend to think though, that insane people are mentally/emotionally weak despite their genius.
 
A connection? Maybe. It is wrong though to claim that all insane people are geniuses therefore all geniuses are insane. Going with this logic there is no connection, just mere perception or circumstance that brings about the idea that geniuses are all insane or vice versa. An argument could be made that people with the tendency to be geniuses also have a higher tendency to go insane. Neither is dependent on the other but either come as a result of the mental state of the individual. A person who stands on the side of the road throwing rocks at oncoming traffic because he thought they were demons is insane. A man who walks into a crowded mall with a samurai sword and claims he is posed by the devil is insane. A woman who kills her kids because she wants to send them to Jesus is insane. Someone who doesn’t leave their mothers basement but can play the piano like none other is a genius. Odd but not insane. There are certain people that fall under both categories. An argument that either Hitler or Goebbels where geniuses for what they did but also insane for the reasons why they did it. :m075:
 
I agree with all of the posts here.

The only caveat I would add is that many people walk a fine line where breakdowns and insanity can emerge. Effective geniuses are often driven to transform, and in doing so, take a psychic hit that can cause them, like any of us, to temporarily lose it. BTThen, being geniuses they fail in brilliant and spectacular fashion- phobias backed by complex but brilliant plans, for example. Finally, their drive and passion can make it harder to pull out of the dive. We can all think of genius that has exploded fantastically. Maybe that's why it stands out?
 
Wyote said:
From my experience, the phrase "there's a fine line between genius and insanity" rings true.

People I've known who are vastly more intelligent than myself tend to get caught up in all sorts of mental and emotional loops which they don't perceive as insane, but observers do.

Trouble is, geniuses and insane folks alike have a knack for justifying their loops.
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maybe we're just not intelligent enough to fully grasp the intricacies of their justifications?
 
maybe we just notice the failures of gifted and talented people more because we expect more from them. the fact is that anybody can fail. nobody ever seems to remark on how many geniuses are sane balanced happy people, although surely there are countless of those.
 
invisible said:
maybe we just notice the failures of gifted and talented people more because we expect more from them. the fact is that anybody can fail. nobody ever seems to remark on how many geniuses are sane balanced happy people, although surely there are countless of those.
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I think we mark the failures of people we don't like/relate with
 
I think you can be insane and genius or sane and a genius and such, but it's hard to define sane and genius when you talk about people.
 
Odyne said:
Sometimes I wonder if "Insane" isn't anything but a subjective assessment of "Genious". People see geniuses as insane only because they were the first of us to push boundaries of what is the norm at the time. Once the norms have changed, they become "genius" revolutionaries.

I think they distinct concepts. Insane is one without sanity. Genius is one with a different sanity. People mix the two because they aren't the individual in question, and so they have a subjective perception of the said genius, or said insane.

I think they're two different kinds of people. It is hard for us to discern one from the other though, because we see them both as abnormal.
Click to expand...

I would venture to say we possibly see some people how they wish to be seen, hiding their genius to appear somewhat normal.
 
There is no such thing as insanity; it is a made up legal definition which changes on a case by case basis and is unhelpful in evaluation people.

And I don't know what a genius is either.

But I do know that whatever these things are, they are both far from the norm, which is characterized by mediocrity. So I suppose in that sense there is a fine line.
 
just me said:
I would venture to say we possibly see some people how they wish to be seen, hiding their genius to appear somewhat normal.
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but who says a genius is not normal? Perhaps most are normal but we don't notice them because we're busy paying attention to those who are more "eccentric" or who's personalities or exceptionalities are more obvious or visible.
 
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