The Waxing and Waning of Genius
Well-Informed & Open-Minded · HS
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Show Notes
Genius, it turns out, has a shelf life. Artists and scientists once hailed as towering figures can fade as tastes shift and disciplines specialize, while others—overlooked or dismissed in their own time—are suddenly rediscovered and celebrated. In this episode, we explore how reputations rise and fall, why commercialization and professionalization reshape our ideas of brilliance, and what institutions like the Nobel Prize get right—and wrong—when anointing greatness. The story suggests that genius is not a fixed verdict but a moving target, shaped by history’s changing values, and that even the most extraordinary achievements remain vulnerable to the judgments of future generations.
Robinson, Andrew, 'Genius and us', Genius: A Very Short Introduction, Very Short Introductions (Oxford, 2011; online edn, Oxford Academic, 24 Sept. 2013), https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199594405.003.0010