Using the examples of Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci (as depicted through Walter Isaacson’s biographies on them) it seems like the “opposite” may also be true. Being immensely curious about various subjects and applying them to one another would definitely have merit by the same examples PG is using in this article. One can definitely make the argument by saying Steve Jobs was obsessed with design - but i’m not sure it was an obsession with design as a discipline. The same with Leonardo can be said about painting, was the obsession to make his paintings better? Or was it just a culmination about being curious about many things?
The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
381–390 of 500 posts
Re: The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
#382Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re completely deluded into believing that genius is overrated. While it is never in isolation, and its fruits are the product of historical necessity, it takes a rare breed of sacrifice, which PG here is saying as obsession, to hit the targets no one else sees (paraphrasing Arthur Schopenhauer); and is constitutionally the personal, moral input of an individual on choosing how to cause themselves to be, unconcern…
> You’re completely deluded [...] Shame on you and your ilk Crossing into personal attack isn't allowed, and we ban accounts the keep doing it, so can you please not do it here? If you'd take a look at https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html you'll see how the intended spirit of this site points in the opposite direction. Note that it doesn't depend on how right you are.
I was personally offended, I apologize for my rhetoric.
Re: The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
#383Using the examples of Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci (as depicted through Walter Isaacson’s biographies on them) it seems like the “opposite” may also be true. Being immensely curious about various subjects and applying them to one another would definitely have merit by the same examples PG is using in this article. One can definitely make the argument by saying Steve Jobs was obsessed with design - but i’m not sur…
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Re: The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
#384Before I read the article, I thought the “bus ticket” was referencing William Sidis, who in the early 20th century gave a mathematics lecture at MIT at 10, a Harvard student at 11, was expected to revolutionize math but then dropped out of the public eye to write strange books, one being an etymology of train and bus tickets across the US, collecting several thousand unique stubs. I bet that you could learn a lot abo…
The father of William was Boris Sidis. Wikipedia notes Boris:
“sought to provide insight into why people behave as they do, particularly in cases of a mob frenzy or religious mania. With the publication of his book Nervous Ills: Their Cause and Cure in 1922, he summarized much of his previous work in diagnosing, understanding and treating nervous disorders. He saw fear as an underlying cause of much human mental suffering and problematic behavior.”
Re: The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
#385Does something need a “result” to be genius? Isn’t most of mathematics abstract, so the reward is the discovery itself? But in physics a theory is not enough because it gets disproven and you are no longer a genius? I’d rather peg genius to the intellectual qualities and determination and focus, but say it’s still genius even if the result isn’t widely relevant to humankind or whatever people are interested in at that time.
Re: The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
#386Earlier quoted context omitted.
Except simply surviving in a non-urban environment is even more mundane and exhausting.
oh absolutely, for prolonged escape if you don't take the basic technology of modern civilization with you, you will loose all your time again to keeping yourself clean, clothed, warm and fed. I you really want to escape I think the trick must be to live just close enough to reap the benefits of modern industry - but for me it is merely a desire or maybe a fantasy that seems more attractive on some days than others.
You can go to some small village in south America. Live on a beach or in mountains. It's so cheap that all you basic needs can be taken care of with 100-400$/month and you can dedicate yourself to the persuit of your hobby.
Re: The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
#387Earlier quoted context omitted.
No. They meant to stop him from his compulsive interest in electronics. They wanted him to play with other kids, play sports, run around. He seemed weird and they thought he would seem weird when he grew up. And running shop that fixes radios didn't look like success to them. (Until recently, "nerd" was a very offensive insult.)
> (Until recently, "nerd" was a very offensive insult.) In that sense, perhaps society has made a little progress, in socially embracing those that seem eccentric, quirky or uncomfortable - maybe not always for the right reasons, but it allows more people to be themselves and be happy.
Rather, the connotations of the word "nerd" have lessened significantly. In the 60s and 70s, it was like what being called an "incel" is today. It was meant to mark you as unlikeable, unpleasant, unattractive, and pretty much outside of the realm of normal human consideration.
Re: The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
#388[deleted]
Re: The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
#389>Here's an even more alarming idea: might one make all bad bets? It probably happens quite often. But we don't know how often, because these people don't become famous.
Not everyone wants to become famous based on their interests. They just want to do what they enjoy. Their (non-) creative interest may pay dividends. Or it may not.
Re: The Bus Ticket Theory of Genius
#390I agree with his theory, but what I find particularly interesting is that I think most people do not have an obsessive interest in anything at all. And as someone who has obsessive interests in a lot of things (some “useful”, some not), that seems really odd to me: how can you just be satisfied to go to work, come home, watch TV, and go to bed each day? (Not saying that’s the wrong way to live, just saying it is surp…
I'm very new to having a kid but so far I've found it's helped focus my time more efficiently by getting better at multi-tasking, and then the remaining "interests" time is spent with a serious, no-time-to-waste approach. Also, you might be surprised at what having a kid does to you, in a good way. Like PG mentions in his essay, once people have kids they tend to be their focus, and it's satisfying to guide them and…
I would also like to say -- having a kid makes one realize how much time is wasted online reading reading reading. It's been a nice adjustment getting away from the internet.