Not all geniuses are crazy, but a high percentage of them are. A few examples:
The mathematician Évariste Galois died at age 20 after laying the foundations of much of modern algebra. Regarding the letter in which he laid out his ideas at age 19, Hermann Weyl said, "This letter, if judged by the novelty and profundity of ideas it contains, is perhaps the most substantial piece of writing in the whole literature of mankind"—a rather favorable review. He was heavily involved in the revolutionary politics of France, was arrested for threatening the king's life at a banquet, and was imprisoned for wearing a uniform without authorization, narrowly missing a conspiracy charge that other members of his unit were later charged with. He died in a duel under mysterious circumstances.
The mathematician Paul Erdős, one of the most prolific mathematicians of the 20th century, was essentially homeless and just showed up at people's houses to do math.
Paul Morphy and Bobby Fischer: Few would argue that at their peak, these 2 were the strongest players in the world. Both however were given to extreme bouts of paranoia.
Nikola Tesla, Physicist & Engineer: Nikola Tesla played a major part in the discovery of: Radio, A/C Electricity, Computers, Robotics, Radar and other scientific breakthroughs, but Tesla suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder. was a severe germophobe and refused to touch anything bearing the slightest hint of dirt. Tesla also refused to touch anything round, which makes some quite obvious hurdles for an engineer.
Empedocles, Greek Scientist & Philosopher: Empedocles discovered: That light travels at a speed, That Earth is a sphere, Centrifugal force, that air is a substance, not an absence of substance. Empedocles believed he was a god. To prove his immortality to his understandably skeptical peers, Empedocles announced that he would jump into a volcano--Mt Etna--and pop back out unscathed. As the poet Richard Osborne wrote: Leapt into Etna and was roasted whole."
What is it about geniuses that make them go crazy so often?
@mchill saidSimply put, some people are ‘predisposed’ to a serious mental disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, in that it has presented in a parent or someone in their extended family so they are at a higher risk of getting the same illness.
Not all geniuses are crazy, but a high percentage of them are. A few examples:
The mathematician Évariste Galois died at age 20 after laying the foundations of much of modern algebra. Regarding the letter in which he laid out his ideas at age 19, Hermann Weyl said, "This letter, if judged by the novelty and profundity of ideas it contains, is perhaps the most substantial pi ...[text shortened]... apt into Etna and was roasted whole."
What is it about geniuses that make them go crazy so often?
Then there’s the ‘precipitating’ factor, this is where a traumatic event or situation pushes someone over the edge and they then begin presenting with symptoms of the same disorder.
Anyone can become mentally ill. Being a genius has nothing to do with it other than we are more aware of it because they are in the public eye.
@mchill saidI read an article recently saying if these gifted people are given psychotropic drugs (which is what happens for most people) it will blunt their thinking process. This in turn will slow humanities progress.
Not all geniuses are crazy, but a high percentage of them are. A few examples:
The mathematician Évariste Galois died at age 20 after laying the foundations of much of modern algebra. Regarding the letter in which he laid out his ideas at age 19, Hermann Weyl said, "This letter, if judged by the novelty and profundity of ideas it contains, is perhaps the most substantial pi ...[text shortened]... apt into Etna and was roasted whole."
What is it about geniuses that make them go crazy so often?
@mchill saidyou brought mainly ancdotical evidence. What we would need is the percentage of genius lvel iq carriers (145+) and the percentage of "crazies" and the percentage of the general populace.
Not all geniuses are crazy, but a high percentage of them are. A few examples:
The mathematician Évariste Galois died at age 20 after laying the foundations of much of modern algebra. Regarding the letter in which he laid out his ideas at age 19, Hermann Weyl said, "This letter, if judged by the novelty and profundity of ideas it contains, is perhaps the most substantial pi ...[text shortened]... apt into Etna and was roasted whole."
What is it about geniuses that make them go crazy so often?
It could be that it strikes us more with known geniuses than with the average population.
Edit: This publication (no paywall) shows a different picture (figure 2): https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14040516
Edit2: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-63104-6
That publication claims the same for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
@ponderable saidI think you are probably correct with this Ponderable.
It could be that it strikes us more with known geniuses than with the average population.
Also what does the term “crazy” really mean in this context.
From Aristotle’s proclamation that ‘there is no great genius without some touch of madness’, to stories of great artists going crazy, many are still transfixed by the idea that brilliance requires a touch of insanity.
The vast majority of creative people are not mentally ill and, more importantly, the vast majority of those suffering from psychopathology are not geniuses.
What genius is there when someone hears voices telling them to kill then at the murder trial they are found to have been insane at the time of doing these things e.g. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-68341244
@congruent saidWhat is “a touch of insanity” though? Like “crazy” it is essentially meaningless when applied to a topic such as this isn’t it?
From Aristotle’s proclamation that ‘there is no great genius without some touch of madness’, to stories of great artists going crazy, many are still transfixed by the idea that brilliance requires a touch of insanity.
@pettytalk saidYou can create a poll using "Insert Poll".
Smart but crazy has an opposite which is, dumb but sane.
Jesus Christ was also considered to be 'crazy' in his times.
It would make an interesting poll here. Of the two, which one would you choose?
I didn't get what poll you wanted to create