Althouse: "Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see."

January 7, 2018

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see."

Arthur Schopenhauer.

21 comments:

David Ermer said...: That quote also is found in the conclusion of Walter Isaacson's recent biograhy of Leonardo Da Vinci which is worth reading.; 1/7/18, 8:49 AM
Phil 314 said...: Professor, three successive posts on genius. Clearly a topic of self interest?; 1/7/18, 8:53 AM
rhhardin said...: It's like a urinal with no target painted on it.; 1/7/18, 9:01 AM
rhhardin said...: Women are supposed to create places, in their traditional role.

https://www.philosophie.uni-wuppertal.de/fileadmin/philosophie/PDFs_allg/Seminarmaterialien/Klass/DERRIDA__Interview_Choreographies.pdf; 1/7/18, 9:05 AM
Luke Lea said...: Capital is the reincarnation of Christ? Some targets are embarrassing.; 1/7/18, 9:06 AM
rhhardin said...: It's called the genius of the sex.; 1/7/18, 9:06 AM
Michael K said...: Reagan was once asked about wether being an actor was adequate preparation for being president.

He answered that it was and he wondered how anyone who had not been an actor could do it.

He would love to be watching Trump now. An excellent example although Trump had far more preparation in his business life,; 1/7/18, 9:08 AM
Lyle Sanford, RMT said...: What a great quote - thanks; 1/7/18, 9:19 AM
Wince said...: Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.

"I'm the hand up Mona Lisa's skirt. I'm a surprise... They don't see me coming: that's what you're missing."; 1/7/18, 10:25 AM
John Borell said...: These genius quotes are...wait for it...genius.

Seriously, Althouse, I’m loving today’s posts. And the comments, too. This really is a great place to hang out.

Hate to get sappy, but find a better blogger or a better class of commenters. Together, neither exist.; 1/7/18, 11:07 AM
YoungHegelian said...: Ahhhh, Ahh-Nuld S. The Big Schop.

Determined foe of Hegel ("that clumsy charlatan") & all things Hegelian (especially losing out in the ratings at U of Berlin), no fan of his Momma & chicks in general, & a far larger influence on folks like Nietzsche than gets often admitted in public. Another one of his claims to fame (so as to speak) is that he did much to introduce the study of Indian theology/philosophy into western mainstream academic study.; 1/7/18, 11:37 AM
William said...: When you stop to think about it it takes far more intelligence and craftiness to predict the movements of the planets when you use a model of the planets rotating around the earth rather than the sun........I just recently read a biography of Lenin. That man wrote over fifty books and all of them contained over six hundred pages. He had the energy and dynamism to lead the Russian Revolution. No one else, not even Trotsky, had such purpose and focus. It's truly amazing that a man who was so wrong about so much could convince so many that he was a man of talent and genius. I suppose he was, but shouldn't being right about something enter into the equation?; 1/7/18, 11:45 AM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: By that standard, Trump is certainly a genius. Jeb!, Cruz, Rubio et al., and ultimately Hillary, were aiming at a presidency formulated by the establishment to weaponize the government against its enemies, to appease and abet international entities that would destroy America, and to maintain itself in power at whatever cost to the people.

Trump's target was the undoing of this abomination. No other candidate perceived the intensity of disgust the electorate felt for the elitist dynasties in Washington, and even if they had they wouldn't have wanted to get on board. It was their bread and butter.; 1/7/18, 11:58 AM
Robert Cook said...: "Trump's target was the undoing of this abomination."

Trump's only target was extending his brand, aggrandizing himself.; 1/7/18, 12:19 PM
Darrell said...: "Genius" is the Left's new talking point. They called Harvey Weinstein, Al Gore, Hillary, and Barack Obama geniuses. And meant it.; 1/7/18, 12:42 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: Sometimes genius is an arrow, sometimes it’s a flail. The latter often goes unrecognized or under-regarded.; 1/7/18, 12:59 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: I once hit a target nobody could see. But instead of calling me a genius, they called me a fucking idiot.

The bastards.; 1/7/18, 1:06 PM
Jaq said...: Trump’s only target was extending his brand, aggrandizing himself. - Opined Robert.

Everybody could see the “blue wall,” Trump comes up with his Jericho act, using his big mouth.; 1/7/18, 1:12 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Did anyone ever have the crazy thought of Donald Trump as Mazer Rackham? Nobody understood how to do what couldn't be done... But he did it.

Not a universally loved character, either.; 1/7/18, 2:38 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: It ain't no damn target if only a genius can see it.

Maybe it might make a little (more) sense as "... a target no one else had seen."; 1/7/18, 3:10 PM
Kyzer SoSay said...: Bad Lieutenant, that is quite an interesting comparison. Mazer saw a pattern that nobody else could - or at least before anyone else did. Trump saw something similar, a way to run a campaign and spread a message without cycling it through the minds of a dozen politically correct image-makers speaking cautious swamp-tongue. Be blunt, state the obvious, and yes, be honest and direct with your hoped-for voters, and let the chips fall where they may.

Unlike most of the pollsters, he also saw the real target - the Electoral College. Let Hillary be president of NYC and Mexifornia. Trump was after the greater part of the country, and he got it by doing what he did.; 1/8/18, 7:05 AM