There are a lot of people who have defined genius in a variety of ways over the centuries. Some gave better definitions than others. Here’s one I found as an example:
someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and originality
That definition doesn’t really capture the essence of genius though. I suspect that we each have our own ideas of what genius is, based on our own experiences. For that reason, the word becomes hard to define since we’ve all had different life experiences.
For me, genius is the natural ability to look at a problem and see the obvious that none have seen before. If you look at the best inventions and the most useful products, we tend to look at them and think, “Wow, now why didn’t I think of that?” Well I’ve found an example of genius. The simplicity of it is astounding. We’ve had running water and toothbrushes for many decades and only now has someone come up with the brush and rinse toothbrush.
Thanks to OhGizmo for pointing out the brush.
genius, toothbrush
(1 votes, average: 2 out of 5)
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4 responses so far ↓
1 ShopMania // Aug 14, 2007 at 12:12 pm
I agree with your definition for genius. Brilliant ideas are simple. BRUSH & RINSE is a simple and probably usefull idea. Personally, I have no problem with lapping water from the hand and I don’t agree that current methods are sloppy and create waste, but I am sure that with a good publicity, the product will have success.
2 Marc // Aug 14, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Yeah it may be trying to sell itself bigger than it is, but in either case, you have to admire the beauty in its simplicity
3 Stomp Yard // Aug 14, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Related to your definition, I think genius is the ability to get to the simplest view of a complex problem. Poor thinkers often make things too complicated and many have a tendency to oversimplify, but the genius gets to an “appropriate” level of simplicity. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” - Einstein.
4 Marc // Aug 15, 2007 at 7:01 am
That’s a great interpretation Stomp Yard. I have seen many cases where people that are inexperienced or less adept in an area make things more complicated than they need to be.