In modern times, when we say “genius,” we are usually referring to a particularly brilliant individual. Genius is something that a small handful of people are. It divides us into the haves and have-nots. As such, it is inherently disempowering for the vast majority of us.
It’s time we uninstall this limited, limiting notion of genius.
For our purposes in this book, “genius” points to something else entirely. Just like goodness is the force that binds the universe together, genius is the force that allows the universe to generate truly novel forms, often completely unexpectedly from what came before. At the same time, it is the force that allows humanity to generate novel forms of institutions, art, technology, values, and so on. It is the force that allows individual humans to create their own novel ideas and perspectives.
Genius is the evolutionary, emergent force flowing through all of us at all times.
The word “genius” derives from Latin. And “genius” actually had specific meanings for the ancient Romans — not unlike what the Greeks called the “daemon.”
For the Romans, one’s genius was perhaps something like a guiding spirit that watched over them. In this sense, it might be likened to what we call intuition or callings. It is our connection to the divine or the universe that offers us guidance throughout our lives.
But the Romans also thought of genius as the unique creative power that inspires and enables someone to make art, invent a new technology, or conceive new ideas. In this sense, everyone has their own unique brand of genius, like their own unique DNA or fingerprint, that determines their unique creative essence as an individual.
In both conceptions, genius is not something a few people are; it is something people have. It is something that everyone has.
This is an excerpt from my upcoming book The Antihero’s Journey: From Burnout to Real Contribution in Polycrisis Times. To read other excerpts, go here.
