The Genius Myth Quotes

“If we can thank the high IQ societies for anything, it is for proving that a ‘genius-level IQ’ does not perfectly correlate with achievement. These societies were set up to demonstrate that their members were superior people with superior brains. But the polls run by Mensa were quickly revealed to be useless- simply having a high IQ does not make you an expert on foreign policy, or economics, or any of a thousand other political questions. In many cases, a self-image as a ‘clever person’ simply makes you more likely to hold your incorrect opinions extremely forcefully.”
― Helen Lewis, The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea

“Then, as now, there is an assumption that superior knowledge and expertise in one domain confers authority in others. It is one of the worst outcomes of the mythology of genius, because it encourages exceptional people to stray far outside their competence—to see themselves as omni-experts, superior minds who have much to contribute on any issue. (Once, when a house guest contradicted him, Shockley snapped back: “What law of nature have you discovered?”)”
― Helen Lewis, The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea

“The argument over whether Elon Musk is a genius is really an argument about what our society values, and what it is prepared to tolerate. A suite of behaviors that would otherwise be inexcusable are forgiven when they are the price of greatness.”
― Helen Lewis, The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea

“This is what I find poisonous about the idea of genius—that people who succeed wildly in one domain stop thinking of themselves as any combination of talented, lucky and hardworking, and instead come to imagine that they are a superior sort of human.”
― Helen Lewis, The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea

“A genius does not have to play by the rules in pursuit of a great discovery. Hang on though. What if his great discovery turns out to be garbage, perhaps because he bent the rules? Ah, then he wasn’t a genius after all. This kind of circular logic ought to disqualify a scientist from being taken seriously.”
― Helen Lewis, The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea

“The great psychologist had believed himself a genius, and he had constructed a hall of mirrors to prove himself right.”
― Helen Lewis, The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea

“Both sides knew that discrediting Burt was an appealing way of discrediting this ideas—even in science, evidence rarely stands or falls on its own merits, but by the reputation of its champions. A genius therefore becomes the human embodiment of a political argument—and smashing the genius’ reputation is a more compelling way of demolishing that argument than a tedious, footnoted appeal to the facts.”
― Helen Lewis, The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea