Panopticon
02-11-2013, 06:38 PM
This post discusses some psychological phenomenons and weaves into it some philosophical thoughts.
Insanity often elevates individuals to the status of gods among men. Nietzsche, Tesla, Newton, Socrates, Byron, Nash and so forever on. There are those who have better things to do than to fit the plebeian rules of social etiquette and goodthink, and then there are those who are perfectly ordinary, but nothing more than ordinary.
I would argue that eccentrics and madmen are rarely -- if ever -- ordinary. And that goes along with the concepts of eccentricity and madness like hand in glove. Thus, they are either geniuses or idiots. This has made me wonder whether insanity and genius are simply two sides of the same coin. Do they have more in common with each other than with regular people? And should one therefore perhaps by all means avoid mediocrity (if one wants to elevate oneself)?
Discuss.
Insanity often elevates individuals to the status of gods among men. Nietzsche, Tesla, Newton, Socrates, Byron, Nash and so forever on. There are those who have better things to do than to fit the plebeian rules of social etiquette and goodthink, and then there are those who are perfectly ordinary, but nothing more than ordinary.
I would argue that eccentrics and madmen are rarely -- if ever -- ordinary. And that goes along with the concepts of eccentricity and madness like hand in glove. Thus, they are either geniuses or idiots. This has made me wonder whether insanity and genius are simply two sides of the same coin. Do they have more in common with each other than with regular people? And should one therefore perhaps by all means avoid mediocrity (if one wants to elevate oneself)?
Discuss.