Michael Durnil
Professor Sims
English 102 Sec 004
Investigative Draft
July 27, 2010
What is required to Gain the Title of Genius?
Have you ever considered what someone has done to earn the title of genius? Throughout history, society has classified many people as a genius, for example; Albert Einstein, Leonardo DaVinci, and Michael Kearney. What I want to know is what these people have done, and what other people have to do to obtain the title of genius? Does it require an abnormally high IQ score? Is making new contributions to science and learning a requirement? Does being a genius mean doing something better than it has ever been done before? In order to answer my question, I will look at what IQ tests are, what their scores mean, what the definition of genius is, and then I will compare geniuses to see what common attributes they have.
In order to investigate my question, we first need to find out what a genius is by definition. According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, the word genius means many things. For example, “Extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creativity, a person with a very high IQ, or a person endowed with transcendent mental superiority,” are a few of the definitions listed.
Next, we need to understand what an IQ test is. IQ, or intelligence quotient, is a test used to measure a person’s intelligence. There are many different types of IQ tests, but they are all a result of French psychologist, Alfred Binet. In 1905, he developed the
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first IQ test. It was originally used as a way of predicting a student’s academic success. These tests usually consist of 10 to 14 sections; each section focuses on a particular thinking ability. Comprehension, vocabulary, letter to number sequencing, reasoning, and spatial ability are among these particular abilities. The test focuses on areas like these, because they are abilities. This makes it so a person can’t manipulate the outcome of their IQ test. Basically, IQ tests are supposed to test you on how you do something, instead of what you know. In other word, people shouldn’t be able to study for an IQ test. This test is supposed to provide completely fair and unbiased assessments of each test taker; however, it has critics. The critics say the test fails to measure an important skill; creativity.
The IQ tests scores are used to put people in a category, according to http://www.iqcomparisonsite.com; 140 and over puts people in the genius or near genius range, 120 to 140 is the very superior intelligence group, 110 to 120 is the superior intelligence group, 90 to 110 is the normal intelligence group, 80 to 90 is the dullness group, 70 to 80 is the borderline deficiency group, and below 70 is the definitive feeble mindedness group. Now that we have looked at how IQ tests scores are rated, let’s look at the lives of a few geniuses.
Einstein was born at Ulm, in Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Albert furthered his education at Aarau, Switzerland. In 1896, he entered the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, to be trained as a teacher in physics and mathematics. In
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1901, he received his diploma; however he couldn’t find a teaching post that would hire him, so he got a job as technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Office. In 1905, Einstein obtained his doctorate degree.
Ironically, the patent office gave birth to Einstein’s revolutionary ideas. Ideas like his theory of relativity. In 1908, he was appointed Privatdozent in Berne. In 1909, he became Professor Extraordinary at Zurich and in 1911, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Prague. In the following year, Einstein returned to Zurich to fill a similar post. In 1914, Einstein was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin. He became a German citizen in 1914 and stayed in Berlin until 1933, when he renounced his citizenship for political reasons and immigrated to America. When Einstein came to America, he took the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton. Einstein became an American citizen in 1940 and retired from his position at Princeton in 1945.
After WWII, Einstein was a leading figure in the World Government Movement. At one point, he was offered the Presidency of the State of Israel; however, it was an offer in which he declined. He worked with Dr. Chaim Weizmann in establishing the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
In the begging of his scientific work, Einstein realized some flaws with Newton’s ideas. His special theory of relativity actually branched of an attempt to improve the laws
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of mechanics, with the laws of the electromagnetic field. He investigated the thermal properties of light; his observations laid the foundation of the photon theory of light.
Teaching others was important to Einstein, and in his early days in Berlin, he believed that the correct interpretation of the special theory of relativity would be easier with a theory of gravitation. In 1916, he published his paper on the general theory of relativity. During this time, he also helped with the problems of the theory of radiation and statistical mechanics. He contributed to the theory of statistical mechanics by developing his quantum theory of a monatomic gas. He has also done valuable work in atomic transition probabilities and relativistic cosmology. Einstein was always curios, and was trying to expand his understanding of his surroundings. He continued working after he retired, on the basic concepts of physics. Einstein died on April 18, 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey.
Einstein earned his genius identity due to his desire to learn, how he wanted to educate others, how he was politically involved, and how he earned recognition. By earning this recognition at his jobs and by other people, it made people more aware of what he was doing and what he had already done.
The next genius I want to look at is Leonardo da Vinci. He was not only a Florentine artist; he was also recognized as a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and scientist. Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452, in the small Tuscan town of Vinci, near
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Florence. His father was a wealthy Florentine notary and his mother was a peasant woman. In the mid-1460s his family moved to Florence. There Leonardo was given the best education that the intellectual and artistic center of Italy, Florence, could offer. Leonardo quickly advanced socially and intellectually. He had virtually no formal education; he actually had an abiding contempt for received learning. He eventually figured out that his lack of Latin made it difficult for him to learn from other people; this language barrier led to him writing careful inflections of Latin verbs in his notebooks.
He was good at persuading others in conversation and he was a fine musician. Around 1466, he was apprenticed as a studio boy to Andrea del Verrocchio. Andrea del Verrocchio was the leading Florentine painter and sculptor of his day, so this was a big accomplishment.
During his time with Verrocchio, Leonardo was involved in many new activities. He painted altar pieces, panel pictures, and did large sculptures made of marble and bronze.
In his time, Leonardo’s scientific theories were revolutionary. He had many inventions that could’ve have completely changed science and technology in his time, if he would have actually built them. His theories and designs were written down in notebooks, in a rather unusual way. He wrote down his notes in mirror script; meaning he
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wrote all of the words backwards. His mirror script was like his own type of patent, because it made it hard for people to take his ideals.
In short, Leonardo became a genius due to his critical thinking and his perseverance. His inventions, artwork, and scientific theories were all revolutionary in their day. He was not afraid to think outside the box, so to speak. While he had a bad habit of leaving his work unfinished, what he did accomplish shows his desire to learn. He exemplifies having a desire to learn; even with his lack of formal education, he persevered and became a genius.
Michael Kearney is not as well known as Einstein or da Vinci, but he is a genius, or child prodigy, none the less. He was born January 18, 1984, in Paterson, New Jersey. His father was Caucasian and his mother was Japanese. He was home schooled, mainly by his mother. He was diagnosed with ADD and his parents did not give him any medication, such as Ritalin or Adderal. At the age of six months, he told his pediatrician,” I have a left ear infection.” At the age of ten months, Kearney could read. He finished high school at the age of six, so he was then enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College. Michael received his associates’ degree of science in geology at the age of eight. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s youngest university graduate, at the age of ten, when he received his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of South Alabama. He was teaching a college class by the age of seven-teen. His younger sister, Maeghan, is also a child prodigy.
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By looking at his life, we can see Michael benefited from his parents’ choice to home school him. When he was misdiagnosed with ADD it was because he was bored. The reason he lacked focus could easily be fixed if he was challenged with something new. He earned his title of genius due to his high IQ score, his young age, how he taught others, and his desire to learn. It has been debated whether intelligence is genetic, or if it is based on a person’s environment. Studies have shown that parents with higher IQ scores also have children with higher IQ scores. The fact that his sister is a child prodigy shows us that genetics and surroundings do in fact play a vital role in someone’s IQ score.
All three of these Genius’ did particular things that show us what is required to be a genius, for example; they all had strong desires to learn, They all learned in their own methods, they all taught others, and They all had high IQ scores.
It has been said, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” This is exactly how it is with learning; people aren’t going to learn unless they want to. If learning something new is unwanted by the student, the teacher cannot make them learn. Being a genius definitely requires a strong desire to learn.
Einstein went to college, and he earned a doctorate degree. Instead of having any formal education, da Vinci learned by being a creative, critical thinker. He designed well because of his artistic abilities, and his curiosity. Kearney also lacked formal education,
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until he enrolled in college. He learned better at home with one on one interaction; however in this method, the student can only learn as much as the instructor can teach them.
Remember any IQ score above 140 is genius or near genius. Einstein’s IQ score was estimated to be anywhere from one-hundred and sixty to one-hundred and eighty. Since he never took any IQ tests, this estimate is the best we’ve got. In da Vinci’s time, IQ tests hadn’t been developed yet. His estimated IQ score is two-hundred and twenty. Michael Kearney’s IQ score is two-hundred, when he was four-teen; however, when he four, his IQ score was three-hundred and twenty-five.
Having a high IQ score may qualify you as a genius in a test, but if that intelligence remains unused and wasted, society will not remember that individual as a genius. Kearney may have an extremely high IQ score, but what has he done with it? This is the true meaning of being a genius.
In order to become a genius, any education will be acceptable. It actually depends much more on the individual’s desire to learn. That desire, combined with an intelligent and challenging environment will be all the more education needed. Writing a theory that changes the way the world thinks about something, or inventing something that changes the way the world does something is definitely required; however, if this new found knowledge isn’t shared, nothing will be changed. To become a genius, an
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individual must do three things; they must learn as much as possible, use that knowledge to figure out solutions to problems, and then share these solutions with everyone.
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