Albert-László Barabási, a pioneering network scientist and professor, uncovers the nuances of genius in this engaging discussion. He distinguishes between 'peerless geniuses' like Einstein and 'ordinary geniuses' such as Hawking, shedding light on what truly defines genius beyond mere talent. Barabási highlights how scientific success is influenced more by productivity and societal recognition rather than raw ability. Dive into his research that reveals fascinating predictors of genius, including the impact of hidden figures on our understanding of creativity.
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insights INSIGHT
Genius As A Social Construct
Genius is a social label assigned to exceptional accomplishments, not a pure measure of raw ability.
Exceptional achievement alone doesn't guarantee the genius label without societal recognition and context.
insights INSIGHT
Two Classes Of Genius
There are two classes: ordinary geniuses and peerless geniuses based on comparability to peers.
Einstein is peerless, while Stephen Hawking fits the ordinary-genius category with comparable contemporaries.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Hidden Peer Comparable To Hawking
Barabási contrasts Einstein's solitary dominance with Stephen Hawking's several comparable peers.
He highlights a woman, Renata Kalosh, who matched Hawking's impact but lacked recognition.
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A very few creative individuals, often labeled “geniuses,” have had a profound and lasting impact on science, culture, and society. Sure, we admire the achievements and legacy of this lofty few, but it’s a puzzle to determine what, precisely, launched these specific innovators into the stratosphere.
The simplest answer is that the root of genius is raw ability. Yet, decades of research indicate otherwise. As network scientist Albert-László Barabási tells us, exceptional talent or intellectual prowess is no guarantee of exceptional achievement. And exceptional achievement is, in turn, no guarantee of recognition. Even a significant breakthrough doesn’t ensure that an individual ultimately will be labeled a genius.
So what truly makes a genius? And what separates ordinary geniuses — those who have accomplished remarkable feats and are often compared to their peers, like Stephen Hawking — from peerless geniuses, who are considered alone in the significance of their achievements, such as Albert Einstein? Working with Alexander Gates and Qing Ke at the Network Science Institute at Northeastern University, Barabási catalogued the publishing history of nearly six million scientists to answer these questions. And the data they gleaned might just predict which genius will be our generation’s Einstein.
0:00 Genius worshippers
1:18 Ordinary vs. Peerless genius
3:47 Was Einstein right about the age of genius?
5:35 The ‘Q-factor’ of scientific success
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About Albert-László Barabási:
Albert-László Barabási is a network scientist, fascinated with a wide range of topics, from unveiling the structure of the brain and treating diseases using network medicine to the emergence of success in art and how science really works. His research has helped unveil the hidden order behind various complex systems using the quantitative tools of network science, a research field that he pioneered, and has led to the discovery of scale-free networks, helping explain the emergence of many natural, technological, and social networks.
Barabási is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is the author of The Formula (Little Brown), Network Science (Cambridge), Bursts (Dutton), and Linked (Penguin). He co-edited Network Medicine (Harvard, 2017) and The Structure and Dynamics of Networks (Princeton, 2005). His books have been translated into over twenty languages.
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