It seems safe to say that significant discovery, really creative thinking, does not occur with regard to problems about which the thinker is lukewarm.
— Mary Henle
There seems to be a growing consensus that genius is all about hard work; really hard work, for at least a decade. What can motivate that kind of sustained effort? The answer must be passion. If you care very deeply about a certain thing (e.g., science, art, sports), you will be motivated to work hard at it for decades, and, with a bit of luck, you may eventually be blessed with the label “genius” (although you probably don’t really care about that particular blessing).
People tend to link genius with IQ, but I think this is misguided. I suspect that IQ scores are closely connected to personality. There seems to be some weak evidence to support this hypothesis. IQ tests typically involve a certain kind of puzzle solving, and it seems to me that the people who do particularly well on IQ tests are those who have the kind of personality that enjoys puzzle solving. And the people who make IQ tests are also people who enjoy puzzle solving, and who believe that puzzle solving is an important and valuable ability (i.e., they are passionate about puzzle solving, interpreted in a very general sense). Essentially, an IQ test measures the overlap between the passions of the test taker and the passions of the test maker.
(Disclaimer: I have very little scientific evidence to support the wild conjectures in the preceding paragraph. I enjoy puzzles, in a general sense, such as the puzzle of life.)
Ideally, teachers would focus on one single thing: getting their students really, deeply excited about the subject of the course. Everything else, the students can do on their own. If you don’t know how to do research, but there is a research question that really excites you, then you will figure out how to do research.
(This post was inspired by discussion with Daniel Lemire.)
Filed under: Philosophy of Mind | Tagged: effort, genius, passion
Wonderful advice, Peter, especially the last paragraph.
I agree that this is a brilliant post (I just reread it now a month later).
Right on spot. By the way, IQ testing is pseudo-science, and a brilliant book that sheds light on the issue is “The Making of Intelligence”. It’s not about AI per se, but should be required readers for all researchers, as it gives a very different view of the forest.
About IQ:
(1) g factor
(2) g, a Statistical Myth
I couldn’t agree with you more.
I think it’s often the case that the masses attribute achievement and success with genius when in reality the achievers themselves have come to be where they are through hard work and dedication to their field.
A shame really that they are seldom recognised for such qualities. Although, as you say, they probably wouldn’t be too bothered about recognition in any sense.
We recently had a related discussion: How important is talent?