Smart but crazy
22 Feb '24 07:361 editNot 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?
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?
Back to Top