One of the most puzzling capabilities of the brain is embodied in the genius: an individual with sometimes astounding talents in one or more areas of achievement, very often without any formal education in their chosen field.

These individuals usually display remarkable talent from an early age, sometimes combined with a dedication which enables them to master a certain artistic or scientific activity.  But while an ordinary brain, given the same dedication, can become competent or even proficient in any given field, the genius brings new energy and ideas to a problem, often seeming to find the answer without going through the analytical steps leading up to it.

Very often, the genius is so advanced that the society of their day reject their ideas; their status of genius is usually confirmed by future generations.  Other geniuses happily find focus and application within their own time.  But the brain of the genius is unusually delicate, more sensitive to lifestyle and habits, and more acutely aware of inequalities of the environment.  In the case of genius, and even exceptional talent, when the lifestyle of the individual does not meet the brain's requirement for a more sober and balanced way of life, the results are often catastrophic for the individual.

Why should science study genius?

The tragedy is that the specialists and the scholars of today treat the human brain like a sealed compartment, as circumscribed in its performance as the brain of an animal. Although there is undeniable evidence to show that in certain specially constituted individuals, as for instance in the case of mediums and sensitives, mystics and seers, child prodigies and even men of genius, the normal human limit is exceeded to an amazing extent, in a manner for which there is no satisfactory explanation from the side of science, the scholars, moving in the same old rut, continue to harp on the bewildering complexity of the brain and the enormous number of brain cells as a sufficient cause to account for any paranormal phenomena exhibited by man. This means, in other words, that scientists of this category are adopting the same dogmatic attitude towards the still inexplicable phenomena of mind as ecclesiastical pundits adopted towards the unintelligible physical phenomena a few centures ago. (Gopi Krishna, The Biological Basis of Religion and Genius, Turnstone Press, 1973, p80).

Although their bewildering ability to solve complex problems relies on some unknown intuitive power, it is the talented individual and the genius who introduce new ideas and concepts to the race.  In every field of endeavour, whether scientific, literary, artistic, religious, or political, it is the men and women of outstanding talent and genius who move the race on to new areas.  For this reason alone, the genius should be an object of intense scientific study, as it is this class who  seem to have the most bearing on the development of mankind.  Too often, the genius is left to drift in a commercial world for which they have no instinct, and find themselves prostituted for commercial gain by others, often at the cost of their own happiness and peace of mind.

There could be factors in the environment which not only support genius but actively nurture it over a period of years or even generations.   It is well known that luxurious lifestyles can lead to a degenerative effect which is noticeable over as little as two or three generations.  The irretrievable descent into addiction and crime of wealthy families and ruling dynasties is so widespread that it forms a basic staple of our daily news diet.

On the other hand, for example, the parents and grandparents of the founding fathers of science were, by and large, religious men and women with strict moral codes; the dramatic difference in lifestyles could form a very important area of study: the genetic changes resulting from parental lifestyles.  If it was found that a certain lifestyle tended to foster increased creativity in the progeny, it would show that the brain, at least at this stage of evolution, is more suited to one lifestyle than another.  If society is not based generally around that lifestyle, does it run the risk of degenerating and decaying, as happened with the great civilisations of the past?

What effect on mankind does the genius have?

The religious geniuses have shaped the major religions as we have them today.  Their words, even from a distance of thousands of years, still give comfort and inspiration to millions today.  The scientific geniuses have shaped the inventions of civilised world and the tools which all of us employ.   The musical geniuses have shaped the sounds of each society, from Mozart and Beethoven to Lennon and Hendrix.  The artistic geniuses have given us icons such as the Sistine Chapel and the Mona Lisa, and more recent images from the mass media of Disney and the reflective images of Picasso, van Gogh, the Group of Seven, and so on.  The literary geniuses such as Shakespeare, Emerson, Whitman, and Tennyson have provided us with the longest enduring reading material.

In other fields, the inspired physicists have shaped the advanced concepts we have today when we think about the universe.  Because of individuals such as Einstein the world is a far different place: the advancements in astronomy, space travel and satellite communications would not be possible without the theory of relativity.  And it has been the political geniuses who have shaped society: both the benefits and the restrictions which we have today, often using and manipulating their talented peers in other, more secular fields, such as in propaganda, armaments, and the media.

The destructive genius

Instead of the upliftment described above, the destructive genius tends to degrade mankind, and the 20th century has not been short of these.  A roll call of the influential political geniuses, mostly paranoid psychopaths, reminds us how much we are at the mercy of an individual with unique abilities but evil intent: Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Pinochet, Ceaucescu, Amin, Saddam Hussein, Milosovic, Arkan, and dozens of others dead and living, in Rwanda, Chile, China, Indonesia, Bahrain, Afghanistan and Serbia, to name only a few, can exert a hypnotic control over entire nations, and, within our own lifetimes, have been the masterminds behind the worst massacres humanity has ever endured.

This shows that science has no power to control the greed and lust which the lack of morals can foster.  Every religion warned against materialism beyond one's basic needs.  Without uplifitng ideals, humanity will always be prone to become victims of the psychopath.  The word "evil" may be much overused, but examples of it remain in every corner of the globe, as a sobering reminder as to humanity's vulnerability.

Behind every situation and advancement in the modern world, the talented mind is at work.  Although the race as a whole evolves gradually, it is the genius which, leaping ahead of the mass mind, ignites a blaze of inspiration, or buries mankind in the ruins of war.