Are these guys really geniuses?

These guys are to be admired. I have learned so much from them. There are some who discovered things by accident and they get credit for it. Some people even stole ideas and claimed that they were the ones who first discovered it.

Sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time but you still have to recognize what you've got even it happened by accident. Stealing someone else's idea is another matter and one can only hope it catches up to thief eventually.

Da Vinci was a true genius and it's interesting to speculate about what he might have achieved if he had lived now with all the resources of our present technology at his command.

I guess I was wrong to judge this people. Some of them realy deserve to be called geniuses.

i suggest you read my post again,slowly.you would understand why.

Re-read your post again, you are clearly wrong; if we are all geniuses in our won way then to be a genius just means to be human and that is not the case. To be a genius is to be exceptional. And clearly to be exceptional means being different from others. What you appear to be trying to say is that we are all potentially geniuses, which is a different matter. Also, it is a highly speculative claim without any evidence to back it up all the best urban

No, clearly we are not all geniuses or by genius you just mean human. Clearly there are individuals that go beyond talent and produce some truly original and insightful work that enriches humanity. all the best urban

True. They studied hard and worked hard to achieve those things.

MyLot is a place where different cultures interact and share their thoughts. We have helped each other out bh sharing our thoughts and ideas.

Me? I don't think so. Not in this lifetime.

Who knows.

Might be. People now lack the discipline these guys have.

Well being a genius does not make one a success necessarily and certainly Plato was a success in his field founding the Academy at which Aristotle studied. Nor is there much to recommend many so called successful people for their intellect. For instance, I personally know a number of people that would generally be considered highly successful who are thick as pig-sh*t. Neither is it true to say that Plato's philosophy is similar to that of the Nazi's although it does have some likenesses there are also very significant diferences. But I do not wish to defend Plato, his philosophy is over-rated and I think is just one of those that happen to be in the right place at the right time. Others do, I consider, qualify as genius and would do today. Aristotle for instance. all the best urban

Well, then it comes down to what you mean by genius. Miles Davis was certainly an immensely talented musician and lets not forget Coltrane but I don't think they are on a par with Aristotle. Why? Well, there are a lot of talented and gifted people out there but they are not geniuses. To be a genius is to go beyond talent, it is to create some truly original and profoundly insightful work. Aristotle is a genius for the following reasons. 1. The breadth of his work; Aristotle writes significantly on such a wide range of subjects, including science, philosophy, rhetoric, drama, etc. 2. His work stood as the defining texts for over a thousand years. 3. Even today there is much Aristotle can teach us. His Logic is still valid and no real additions were made to it until Frege and Russell in the early 20 century formalised the predicate calculus and every scientific discovery confirms Aristotelian Logic. Nancy Cartwright has drafted a revised Aristotelian account of science which she argues, not unsuccessfully, is a better framework for understanding than the present conception. Aristotle is still influential in philosophy of mind. No doubt there are other contemporary Aristotelian influences. 4. Even the two largest religions of the world, Christianity and Islam have been influenced by Aristotle (A mistake in my opinion but still evidence of his greatness) Islam by Ibn Rushd and Christianity by Thomas Aquinas. His work is thus startlingly original and if it does not seem so it is due only to familiarity that time has bought to it. All in all, it is hard to think of a more suitable candidate as genius than Aristotle all the best urban

I agree with your "right place at the right time" idea, what I call an oportunistic, not a genius. I bet he was a looser in real humane relationships and feelings. I like the figure of Aristotle. But I don't think he was a genius, just honest and good in his work. Maybe Miles Davis was a genius, but not for what he made himself, rather because of his ability to take others' ideas and put them together in a higher level.

It could be the case.

Yes, a good point! all the best urban