Note
- I came across this book on Aeon, where Wright’s paper How to be a genius1 is effectively a plug for the book. The paper had a lot of positive, but not very perceptive comments. Amazon reviews of the book are mostly positive, apart from a stroppy one in German.
- I’m hopeful it’ll be an antidote to the irritating "Howe (Michael J.A.) - Genius Explained".
Back Cover Blurb
- Einstein. Beethoven. Picasso. Jobs. The word genius evokes these iconic figures, whose cultural contributions have irreversibly shaped society.
- Yet Beethoven could not multiply. Picasso couldn't pass a 4th grade math test. And Jobs left high school with a 2.65 GPA. What does this say about our metrics for measuring success and achievement today? Why do we teach children to behave and play by the rules, when the transformative geniuses of Western culture have done just the opposite? And what is genius, really?
- Professor Craig Wright, creator of Yale University's popular "Genius Course," has devoted more than two decades to exploring these questions and probing the nature of this term, which is deeply embedded in our culture. In The Hidden Habits of Genius, he reveals what we can learn from the lives of those we have dubbed "geniuses," past and present.
- Examining the lives of transformative individuals ranging from Charles Darwin and Marie Curie to Leonardo Da Vinci and Andy Warhol to Toni Morrison and Elon Musk, Wright identifies more than a dozen drivers of genius – characteristics and patterns of behavior common to great minds throughout history. He argues that genius is about more than intellect and work ethic – it is far more complex – and that the famed "eureka" moment is a Hollywood fiction. Brilliant insights that change the world are never sudden, but rather, they are the result of unique modes of thinking and lengthy gestation. Most importantly, the habits of mind that produce great thinking and discovery can be actively learned and cultivated, and Wright shows us how.
- This book won't make you a genius. But embracing the hidden habits of these transformative individuals will make you more strategic, creative, and successful, and, ultimately, happier.
- Looking at the 14 key traits of genius, from curiosity to creative maladjustment to obsession, Professor Craig Wright, creator of Yale University's popular "Genius Course," explores what we can learn from brilliant minds that have changed the world.
- Craig Wright is the Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Professor Emeritus of Music at Yale University, where he teaches the popular undergraduate course Exploring the Nature of Genius. A Guggenheim Fellow, Wright has received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Chicago, is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was awarded the Sewall Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at Yale (2016) as well as the DeVane Medal for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship (2018).He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music and a PhD. from Harvard.
ContentsIntroduction: Hitting the Hidden Target – 1
- Gift or Hard Work?: IQ or Many Qs? – 11
- Genius and Gender: The Game Is Rigged – 31
- Avoid the Prodigy Bubble – 49
- Imagine the World as Does a Child – 63
- Develop a Lust for Learning – 77
- Find Your Missing Piece – 99
- Leverage Your Difference – 113
- Rebels, Misfits, and Troublemakers – 135
- Be the Fox – 153
- Think Opposite – 173
- Get Lucky – 191
- Move Fast and Break Things – 209
- Now Relax – 225
- Time to Concentrate! – 237
Epilogue Unexpected Outcomes – 251
Acknowledgments – 255
Notes – 257
Photo Credits – 313
Index – 315
Book Comment
Dey Street Books (6 Oct. 2020)
Text Colour Conventions (see disclaimer)- Blue: Text by me; © Theo Todman, 2023
- Mauve: Text by correspondent(s) or other author(s); © the author(s)