Who, living, would you class as a genius? Any Why?

ArtSmart · 06-06-2011 12:08am

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

Do many geniuses indicate that they are experiencing awe by placing the word "drools" between asterisks at the end of their sentences? Based on the chart you've proved it seems like you're the right guy to ask....

Fbjm wrote: »

I wouldn't know how most genii react to that sort of thing. I'm a bit weird :P

hoyeah!

burn!

(yes, watching that 70's show lately, so what?)

Deus Ex Machina · 06-06-2011 12:14am

ArtSmart wrote: »

hoyeah!

burn!

(yes, watching that 70's show lately, so what?)

Geniuses is quite correct, consult any dictionary and you'll see.

Patri · 06-06-2011 12:19am

ArtSmart wrote: »

hoyeah!

burn!

(yes, watching that 70's show lately, so what?)

Genii is the plural given in latin, geniuses is the anglicanized form, both correct.

hoyeah!

NotExactly · 06-06-2011 12:25am

orourkeda wrote: »

That is quite an arse

Can I get a pic of this arse please?

Hal Emmerich · 06-06-2011 1:25am

NotExactly wrote: »

Can I get a pic of this arse please?

Laisurg · 06-06-2011 1:27am

Chris P. Bacon wrote: »

Yeah but she still has a great arse

I agree she's got some arse on her

Hal Emmerich · 06-06-2011 1:28am

NotExactly · 06-06-2011 1:35am

A video thanks..even better

sama_kaffee · 06-06-2011 1:43am

well the only ever living genius i met,

was a guy called Phillip from east Germany.

i told it to his face at least five times,(basically for his survival and egalitarian views)

the last time i seen him he was saving up 2 years of German dole to go to some Arabic country to buy a piece of land and live and farm there.

genius.

strobe · 06-06-2011 1:44am

David Gilmour and Roger Waters would fit the profile I think.

(source)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlY-JlE5ZCo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJus-d5535w

Hal Emmerich · 06-06-2011 1:55am

This guy is able to use his vast practical knowledge of science to make use of mundane materials he finds around him to create unorthodox solutions to any problem he faces.

Brilliant to watch.

im invisible · 06-06-2011 2:12am

brimal wrote: »

Why is everyone choosing Hawking over Witten?

My choice without doubt - Ed Witten

Considered by the majority of top physicists as 'the next Einstein'

dont know anything about him apart from what i've read in Greenes 'The fabric of the cosmos', but that's enough for me, must read more tho'

AskMyChocolate · 06-06-2011 2:13am

John Squire

Ruu_Old · 06-06-2011 2:14am

Mike Oldfield.

ziedth · 06-06-2011 2:21am

Dunno have they been mentioned But Trey Parker & Matt Stone surely deserve a nod? Some of south park's better stuff is quality.

Cypher_sounds · 06-06-2011 2:51am

Paul McGrath.

vgv · 06-06-2011 3:13am

ziedth wrote: »

Trey Parker & Matt Stone

seconded,although I think South Park past its peak years ago.But at its best it was hilarious.
other examples
Im not the first to mention him but Lionel Messi seems to be a class apart from every other soccer player at the moment.
Frank Black.His work,both solo and in the Pixies for which he is better known, brims with energy and creativity.Kurt Cobain even said that the Pixies inspired Nirvana.
Sacha Baron Cohen is a comic genius.

ft9 · 06-06-2011 3:20am

Xabi Alonso

strobe · 06-06-2011 3:28am

If people are going to keep mentioning Messi (legend that he is) I think it is only fair to throw Xavi in there as well. Seeing as the guy is the best footballer since world war 2 ended and all.

Show Time · 06-06-2011 8:18am

Michael Jordan.

keano_afc · 06-06-2011 9:28am

dlofnep wrote: »

What exactly is wrong with Richard Dawkins? He is highly educated, and one of the most progressive thinkers in the world.

Not a genius in my opinion. A man who think that humans are improving morally doesnt strike me as a genius.

You might be confusing arrogance with genius maybe?

orourkeda · 06-06-2011 10:18am

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

High level of intelligence or just an abnormal aptitude in a certain area combined with originality? You don't need to be across the board brilliant at everything to be a genius. If you're abnormally skilled at one thing and you bring something different to it that changes the face of that field, I think you can be considered a genius. Geniuses exist outside the realms of maths and science. People seem to just be overly impressed with people who can figure out a difficult maths problem just because maths seems so difficult to some people. If you've an aptitude for maths, it's not going to be that difficult. However, likewise, if you've an aptitude for music, you'll easily be able to pick up an instrument and play it. A person who's good at maths might be terrible at music though. Does that make them any less a genius than the person who is good at music, or vica versa? You can have an extremely high level of intelligence without being good at everything.

To be honest, I think people just write off anyone in sport because sport doesn't involve difficult numbers or long words, or spending hours on end reading and writing papers. However, if most people were asked to go out there and do what Roger Federer or Lionel Messi have done, they wouldn't be able to.

Aptitude does not necessarily imply genius.

06-06-2011 10:26am

I think there's a difference between talent and genius

weemcd · 06-06-2011 10:34am

Gary Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage name GZA (pronounced /ˈJizzah/) and The Genius, is an American hip hop artist best known as a founding member of the seminal hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan

The GZA’s workmanship can be found three albums deep with classics dating back to 1991 including the albums Words From The Genius, the gold-selling Liquid Swords and Beneath The Surface. Before his days of microphone notoriety, GZA found himself, during the early ages of rap music, travelling throughout New York City sharpening his rap skills in scattered rhyme battles. “I’ve studied rap in every borough,” the GZA says proudly. “I’ve been rhyming before a lot of these cats out here were born. We’ve always drank, ate and slept hip-hop. I love it.”

http://www.last.fm/music/GZA%252FGenius

In my opinion easily one of the best rappers alive, he simply is The Genius as far as his hip hop peers are concerned, few can touch him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiADN6H5X4Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFnMZVqInaw

orourkeda · 06-06-2011 10:37am

bluewolf wrote: »

I think there's a difference between talent and genius

True. One does not necessarily guarantee the other.

If we take an example that has been quoted on here, Lionel Messi.

Genius can be defined as something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight.

I don't believe that Lionel Messi talent as a footballer embodies exceptional intellectual ability, creativity or originality. It certainly doesnt offer unprecedented insight into anything. Having said that nobody can deny his talent as a footballer. I, for one, cant comment on his intellectual capacity but his talent show no signs of originality or creativity (not in the strictest sense).

Matthew23 · 06-06-2011 10:59am

what about actors as genious? they do alot of hard work and have to know how to act very diferent every day? they actors i think are genious would be vigo mortensan because of how diferent he is every day:p

minidazzler · 06-06-2011 11:09am

Matthew23 wrote: »

what about actors as genious? they do alot of hard work and have to know how to act very diferent every day? they actors i think are genious would be vigo mortensan because of how diferent he is every day:p

I agree with viggo mortenson, he and johnny dell could play literally any character.

old hippy · 06-06-2011 11:11am

Dawkins. He cuts through the mass hysteria that seems so rampant around the globe.

slowburner · 06-06-2011 11:28am

orourkeda wrote: »

I realise this is probably a silly question but shouldn't there be a distinction drawn between talent and genius.

It's difficult to question the talent of Lionel Messi, for example, but is it fair to categorise that talent as genius.

'Genius' shouldn't be confused with talent or eminence. Most of the people mentioned here are very talented or eminent in their own fields and average in others. They are not geniuses. A genius is a person who shows exceptional ability in every area of the things they do. Geniuses are very, very rare.
Leonardo da Vinci is an example. Leonardo Dicaprio is not.

Logical Fallacy · 06-06-2011 11:50am

ziedth wrote: »

Dunno have they been mentioned But Trey Parker & Matt Stone surely deserve a nod? Some of south park's better stuff is quality.

Wow, we have really dropped the bar for "genius" over the course of the thread.

sock puppet · 06-06-2011 12:47pm

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

People seem to just be overly impressed with people who can figure out a difficult maths problem just because maths seems so difficult to some people.

Em barely any mathematicians have even been mentioned in this thread.

Da Shins Kelly · 06-06-2011 12:58pm

sock puppet wrote: »

Em barely any mathematicians have even been mentioned in this thread.

Physicists have been, and I'm sure they've had to do a bit of mathematics in their time.

sock puppet · 06-06-2011 1:17pm

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

Physicists have been, and I'm sure they've had to do a bit of mathematics in their time.

Funnily enough one of the physicists mentioned is the only one to ever be awarded a Fields medal. But it doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of people being discussed here are musicians, arists, statesmen, business leaders and sports stars. To then say that people only appreciate the work of scientists is, based on this thread anyway, totally untrue.

maninasia · 06-06-2011 1:56pm

keano_afc wrote: »

Not a genius in my opinion. A man who think that humans are improving morally doesnt strike me as a genius.

You might be confusing arrogance with genius maybe?

Genius has nothing to do with one's moral or religious views or lack of them.
I think genius is the ability to see things differently and acheive insight or breakthroughs from this ability.

orourkeda · 06-06-2011 2:02pm

sock puppet wrote: »

Em barely any mathematicians have even been mentioned in this thread.

William Rowan Hamilton is a fine example. Prominent Physicist, Astronomer, Mathematician and Linguist.

joseph brand · 06-06-2011 2:13pm

Stephen Fry. Because he's Stephen Fry.

joseph brand · 06-06-2011 2:31pm

Fbjm wrote: »

"120-130 = gifted
130-140 = near-genius
140-155 = genius
155+ = super-genius"

I got 140 in an official IQ test carried out by a psychiatrist 2 months ago. So did my mom. Technically being a genius is overrated. If my IQ was 160 though... I'd probably be quite socially inept, but just imagine the thoughts I'd be able to have... *drools*

What's a mom?

Andre80Johnson · 06-06-2011 3:30pm

Werner Herzog. I reckon he could have been a philosopher if filmmaking didn't work out for him. A highly likeable and interesting fella. His work speaks for his dedication on filmmaking and the inventive approach to his style of documentaries/fiction work.