3 Myths of Genius Debunked | Tim Sanders | Big Think

[@bigthink]

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[@jaidentrey7517]

a tip : watch series at Flixzone. Been using them for watching all kinds of movies lately.

[@Richardofearth]

Maybe society should stop slapping the label "Genius" on to financially successful people. Instead reserve that title for those individuals who are truly brilliant.

[@maxmaxwell4211]

Some billionaires are geniuses not because of the money they made but how they made it.

[@albert6157]

@wonderbeaver everyone is different but it is safe to say not everyone is brilliant. But everyone has the potential of discovering something new. You can be brilliant or bright but not contribute to anything or still have wrong views.

[@ajpisharodi]

Actually society should stop slapping the label "genius" so much in general. Every other famous idiot is called a genius. Gore Vidal once joked that "Andy Warhol is the only genius with an IQ of 80"...He was clearly mocking how everyone called Warhol a genius just because he made colorful psychedelic paintings of Campbell Soup cans.

[@elinope4745]

When I was little they called me that because of how I scored on some tests. It used to be if your IQ was over 130 they would call you that. Later on they changed it to "gifted". IQ correlates more strongly with depression than with financial success....

[@vebdaklu]

@@maxmaxwell4211 They made it because they had big money to invest, usualy from their family, but it could come from other sources. That's literally it, nothing genius about it.

[@SimplyGimpy]

It's almost quasi-religious, isn't it? The genius is somehow a messiah, bending reality to his or her will--inventing a machine; breaking athletic records; innately superior. The mind's endless quest for simplicity and myth. The sad irony being that we make their reality less complex, less human, and so we are less likely to understand and replicate their achievements in our own lives. Our worship of them robs us of our ability to better ourselves.

[@sttate]

+SimplyGimpy While that is true and poignant, at the same time don't great people deserve to be romanticized and remembered fondly? If you don't value genius... then you don't value genius and you're not going to be one yourself.

[@DJuTube4]

+SimplyGimpy You can choose to look at it that way, or you can choose to see them as "Idols", some people will look at them and say "They did great things and I can too". You have chosen your view, but that does not stop others, it encourages them. That being said, I completely disagree with what his video is saying. The initial creative idea was founded by one person, it may need others to make it come to fruition but that should not take away from the initial person that came up with it.

[@Synthmilk]

+gnihton You don't become a genius by idolizing another genius. Genius can exist in isolation. You can be a genius and not even self recognize it.

[@DJuTube4]

No, you don't become a genius, however, you can have good ideas and not do anything about them, sometimes it can take an extra push in order to act on them. Seeing others acting on their ideas can help that extra push that is needed.

[@sttate]

Synthmilk I didn't say idolize, I said value. As in... consider it valuable. The logic should be obvious, if you don't value intelligence then you're probably not intelligent.

[@Eireman1965]

The original idea is sometimes spawned in the mind of a lone wolf, but it takes collaboration with others to bring the finished product to market. This is why so few lone wolf inventors ever make it big, as they don't have teams of expert collaborators at their disposal.

[@ShunyamNiketana]

But they may be, nonetheless, geniuses. Marketing is another issue.

[@jonathanhole2972]

Extraverts keep attributing introvert's success to others...

[@CharlesRussellevic]

Christ all mighty, this is accurate

[@natasham7809]

Lol

[@rev.philthyphil6839]

Ah Satan

[@natasham7809]

@@rev.philthyphil6839 that’s my name backwards; don’t wear it out!

[@themaster2851998]

What about Tesla? Wasn't he a lone genius?

[@anonymous-rn7bt]

+1

[@pandaabro5484]

+Robert Jurčec I think it would have been better to say that the lone genius and the eureka moment are rare instead of non existent. It just sounds dumb. Imagine a person stranded alone on an island figuring out things by himself. There could be plenty of eureka moments and no one else is around so yeah, it's not impossible, just unlikely nowadays. Also I remember a study that said people that work alone on a problem often achieve better results (or something like that, read it long ago don't remember well tbh)

[@bryanjedi8242]

Same goes for Elon Musk. He was a a key investor for Tesla. He like Jobs is good at bringing a lot of people together to do great things. Just look up their history.

[@Skinnymarks]

+Pandaa Bro come on. someone who was stuck on a deserted island would be too busy surviving to even consider things that could turn into a eureka moment.

[@pandaabro5484]

Skinnymarks It was just a example but I think there can be. If there is food in abundance, let's say stupid dodo's with no fear of predators live on the island then you do have time and energy to figure out how to live a better life or escape with the materials you got on the island. As I said, just a example.

[@iceverything2000]

Its funny that you left out Newton, a true lone wolf!

[@Kimoto504]

Newton learned from others and referenced others' work.

[@sypen1]

@@Kimoto504 he created entire new fields of mathematics in order to solve problems

[@algebraforfirstgraders6674]

also faraday

[@futuristic426]

Tesla

[@philopateeratef4661]

The guy literally came up with the phrase "standing on the shoulders of giants", he was definitely a genius but according to him he wasn't a lone wolf. Leibniz came up with calculus on his own in the same period so clearly the groundwork was there and it only took a great mind to do the next step like him or Newton

[@neththom999]

Newton was a lone wolf, Einstein was a lone wolf, Edison was not a genius, Steve Jobs was not a genius and let's be serious, sales is not the domain of genius so why is this guy trying to tell us what's true about genius?

[@hugoatm2770]

edison and steve jobs were a genius in selling product Case closed

[@SSJKamui]

Newton was not such a lone wolf. He was embedded in a tradition of thought. And if you understand his tradition, you can see why he came up with the things he did. Newton was inspired hy hermeticism/alchemy. This is often dismissed a a quirk of the genius newton, but if you read hermetic texts and newtons theory of gravity and motion, you see that this contributed greatly to his ideas.

[@neththom999]

@@hugoatm2770 Being a ruthless bastard and a shrewd mercantilist along with the ability to cast the imperious curse (Harry Potter reference= mind control spell) doesn't make anyone a genius, it only makes them successful.

[@neththom999]

@@SSJKamui Ya everyone builds on what came before them and yes Newton was very much inspired by alchemy but none of that means he was colab-ing it up all the time with his corporate dream team.

[@neththom999]

@rvidal0001 This is not about people who are literally raised by wolves in the woods outside of all human culture and somehow come up with great inventions. Even the lone-est of us are not completely isolated in every way.

[@gabrielrej834]

That is why 90% of new ideas come from universities - because young studens, as they learn, notice some new patterns. Then, they decide to follow that pattern and because they don't know about the arbitiary limits yet, they just started learning, but they do the research themselves and give us a novel way of looking at that particular problem.

[@Dyslexic-Artist-Theory-on-Time]

Michael Faraday inventor of the electrical motor, Tesla alternating current both changed the world!

[@Skinnymarks]

But who built the changed world?

[@Dyslexic-Artist-Theory-on-Time]

Skinnymarks It was the hard work of the little people!

[@AgusSimoncelli]

+An artist theory on the physics of 'Time' as a physical process. Quantum Atom Theory Tesla did not "invent" or discover alternating current, he merely invented a AC induction motor, and was not even the first one in doing it, an italian beat him for 2 years. And the two of them developed the work of somebody else, as stated in the video, the didn't just came up with the idea out of nowhere. Not trying to undermine Tesla, but..

[@AgusSimoncelli]

VicMikesvideodiary First of all, I'd never said that Tesla copied him or anything like that, they developed their projects independently. And where the heck do you get the idea that Ferrari think of his invention as a toy? And sure, Tesla did some great things, but he felt that being alone was so important because he was incredibly eccentric and a little bit crazy, he'd probably achieved more if he had worked in a team of some sort.

[@xeno126]

+An artist theory on the physics of 'Time' as a physical process. Quantum Atom Theory It seems you didn't watch the video. These inventions probably include many other people.

[@miguelgutierrez5759]

One of the most important lessons I have learned while as a graduate student in molecular biology and biochemistry is realizing by first hand experience the premise that this video is communicating. The lone genius is mostly a myth, the professors that are regarded as genius and have amazing science research publications have about the same intelligence and reasoning skills as the average graduate student. Persistence, experience, hard work, ability to find patterns and partially luck is what makes the diference. You do not need to be above average smart to be a doctor, lawyer, scientist or even a Nobel prize winner in chemistry. I do not discount the possibility that yes, the rare genius does exist but is definitely much more uncommon than people think.

[@whalingwithishmael7751]

Isaac Newton (a fucking genius) was so lone wolf he died a virgin. John Conway (one of the greatest mathematicians in our lifetime) was so rocked by his eureka moment that he was in a daydream for over a month. Saying that someone is an expert and saying that one’s learning is complete are two different things - can’t think of a single genius who ever thought their knowledge was complete

[@luistello1971]

It is well documented that the great physicist, Richard Feynman, a social extrovert, preferred to be a lone wolf when researching. Did he collaborate with people? He sure did. He was involved in the Manhattan Project. What I learned in life is that you will run the spectrum of experiences. It is most likely that you will collaborate with people, but the question is can you create on your own? Yes, it is slow but if you are curious enough and have the myopia to do it then you will find your answer. My guess is that Tim Sanders never had that experience.

[@Akiak7]

Even when he was researching and 'creating' on his own, he was still *drawing* from his experiences collaborating with others. If you take away those experiences, you also take away his creativity. I can assure you that.

[@vebdaklu]

No man is an island. Every single one of us is a collection of experiences drawn from people around us - from parents and teachers to colleagues and friends.

[@caelroighblunt1956]

The "Eureka Moment" is the culmination of those little ideas. Taking small ideas and putting them together...Eureka! There is nothing wrong with "team genius" but never, EVER discount individual contribution. In my opinion, the whole concept of this video is flawed.

[@kyleherbig]

+Caelroigh Blunt It's not just flawed, it's blantant propaganda!

[@himl994]

Guys, I encourage you to leave your ego aside. Read "Social" (can't remember the whole title) and you'll realize just how important collaboration is.

[@caelroighblunt1956]

himl994 Collaboration is fine but my point remains, don't sublimate individual effort. Sometimes an individual idea is a _pure_ or undiluted thing. Stronger for the single thought. Not always, maybe not often, but sometimes. And sometimes multiple perspectives create confusion where a single perspective produces clarity. I don't mean to say group projects are inferior, just don't overlook the individual.

[@Hazzamax]

+Caelroigh Blunt "The lone Inventor, this is very dangerous" This is nothing other than promoting a collectivist group think. Herd mentality. He is pushing a totalitarian mindset. Rugged individualism is frowned upon in a 1984 like world. It's been proven that groups and teams on a whole have a lower IQ and are ultimately less creative. Solitude is the catalyst to innovation and transcendence. Teams are only useful when they facilitate the realization of an individual geniuses vision. Collaboration is only effective if it has a balanced and healthy respect for the creative spirit of the individual.

[@andrewadkins8440]

​@@Hazzamax I would argue that he is stating the exact opposite. His message is not that individuals are not important, his message is that people other than yourself ARE important, and you should not discount their ideas or their capacity to contribute.

[@trinitytwo14992]

This guy is right on, unfortunately big business and bosses think they are the only ones who can think. This is why the world is the way it is. Work has become indentured servitude instead of cooperative creation. When this attitude changes, the world changes.

[@kennethbailey6634]

This is a great comment and it's the reason that con artist like Trump exist. Because men would rather fail than give into they are the only one who is great. He makes a really good point about this fake narrative. It will always exist because people love looking up to people. And a.lot if people go along with that nonsense. This type of mindset will always go on. You can take basketball for a example. The Holy one is Jordan & Lebron had no greatness at all.

[@timon20061995]

We got a wework believer here

[@trinitytwo14992]

@@kennethbailey6634 Yes the time of idols is over, we must all take our power and responsibility to make the world better. Trump, Obama, two sides of the same corrupt coin.

[@trinitytwo14992]

@@timon20061995 not sure what that is, but we work, we benefit, we create , we take care of the planet and each other, that does sound good.

[@nemooutis-marcusboateng7459]

I still think there are some line geniuses but less than you think. Like Gauss, he achieved unpublished results years and decades before his contemporaries. He even outright detested collaboration. Feynman also was like this often but not always. Usually not by his choosing. Newton was alone in his house until he used others to gather data, he rarely talked to anyone. This is a very important fallacy, we can only handle that we aren't the lone genius when no one else is. We cannot simply say it's very rare but there are special individuals we say it doesn't exist at all and some are just exaggerated ... True.

[@hzklovessubwaycookies8245]

Idk about the other two but newton once said 'standing on the shoulders of giants' which essentially translates into plagiarising and using the work of the dead to boost oneself forwards

[@MangoldProject]

You're quite wrong about the "lone inventor". It is true that almost all inventions and ideas need a community of people to bring them to light. However, this doesn't invalidate the two notions that underlie the lone inventor myth: 1. That seclusion and introspection are highly important to the creative process, and that 2. There are people of intellect significantly superior to others who are capable of achieving a "eureka" moment single-handedly. I've met some formidable people who qualify for (#2) who are leaps and bounds above their colleagues.

[@joea1433]

To MangoldProject - Although political extremists go crazy if you say we are not all "equal" in fact we are not. When you work with a lot of people on a common project, from digging ditches to CERN, an individual who honestly compares himself with others admits the superiority of some of the others. Those who say differently have a rigid mindset.

[@Bmello360]

I agree with everything said in the video and very pleased to hear it. Scrolling through the comments I see many folks unhappy with this discussion primarily because they are paranoid that this means they will never be the selfish little stars they dream of being.

[@vebdaklu]

But it's totally logical - more heads think better than one. So groups will always be more productive than individuals - even in just thinking.

[@ThePromisedWLAN]

Jacque Fresco has been saying this since the 1960s.

[@JazzGuitar420]

Friedrich Nietzsche, Vincent van Gogh, Glenn Gould, Ludwig Wittgenstein. All geniuses, all lone wolves.

[@Shabkaz]

I’m sure they communicated with other people. Smart people know how important team work is and important other people’s opinions are

[@thijsjong]

Haha Ayn Rand. Ayn Rands ideas own acually made her miserable. Ayn Rand is modern mythology. A fairytale that makes you overlook a sinkhole when you are about to step in it.

[@titolovely8237]

+thijsjong im convinced ayn rand had mental issues. that or she just loved the attention she got from bashing the soviet union, and so played that role of western apologist. sort of like a rush limbaugh of her day. just bash those evil people we hate, and talk about how grand our way is.

[@moonlily1]

+thijsjong I don't think he meant that Ayn Rand was personally self-actualized and lived as an island, but that her philosophies and writings promoted that concept. Her success, such as it was, would not promote the "loan genius" myth either, as her writings reaching the public also started with her writing, then went through the hands of agents, editors, publishers, designers, printers, publicists, and booksellers before it reached public hands, and attained recognition through the help of critics and journalists, tv producers who booked her on their shows, etc. Ayn Rand didn't become Ayn Rand on her own.

[@feynmans467]

+thijsjong Ayn Rand pilfered and butchered Nietzsche's best works. It should be Nietzsche that everyone talks about with admiration.

[@thijsjong]

I think using the word ideology is giving her too much credit. dystopia would be more appropiate.

[@analogueapples]

"there is no such thing as a lone inventor" this is not exactly true. There are many people who invent better on their own and can't work in an open office but later need assistance to build or sell the product. Better would be that there is no lone inventor if your product or creation needs others assistance. The more a person can do their own, the less they need others. It also depends on the times - people nowadays have more tools and options available, for instance, you don't need 50 people to publish a book or a record. You can do it alone from your bedroom

[@DistantLights]

Am I being contrarian, or at around 4:32, doesn't he describe experiencing the Eureka moment ("It was like a bolt of lightning") while arguing against the existence of Eureka moment?

[@Dudabird337]

The Lone Wolf Genius is a myth to non Lone Wolf Geniuses... great points tho

[@MrScotchpie]

This sounds to me a lot like a man who thought he was a genius trying to justify to himself why he isn't. Geniuses do exist but they are very rare. Take a nine year old who can pass university level exams in math. Or what about the pianist who at nine can play amazingly complex compositions that 99.9% of us do not begin learning until well into our university days if not beyond. Saying genius is a team sport is just one man trying to rationalise to himself why he isn't the genius he thought he was.

[@TheArabNightHDofficial]

It’s not even like that at all, though. Tim is not trying to slam geniuses and he isn’t saying that they don’t exist. He’s just stating that an expert can be subject to tunnel vision, that a final product that is hugely innovative and disruptive of markets requires teaming and collaboration on problem solving, and that new ideas come with a multitude of unanswered questions that need to be researched and examined. Doing so (on your own) isn’t necessarily impossible, it just takes a massively longer amount of time to create. He’s basically saying Geniuses know how to use other people for the benefit of their idea to elevate it higher than they can themselves. Geniuses are not “lone wolves” they’re great leaders. So get ur head outta ur egotistical ass, question rather than defend your tacit knowledge, and listen to what he’s actually saying.

[@dedopest3305]

I've never heard of a 9 years old passing a university levels exam

[@HoKogan007]

I don't know if this counts but I had a eureka moment that contradicts his notions. I stayed up all night trying to figure out a Calculus III problem, for 5 hours the night before I gave up, and a whole week in total. It was extra credit, and extra credit is supposed to be reserved for the hardest problems, and hard it was. Throwing away and crumbling up scratch paper, I finally gave up and went to bed as it was due the next day. As I went to bed, and as I slept, I dreamt the solution. I immdediatly woke up and wrote it down. Having my eureka moment. I haven't invented anything or came up with any amazing theories, but I can definetly tell you out of a personal experience that these moments do exist.

[@himl994]

You do realize that that eureka moment was in your subconscious already, which is literally always affected by its environment (aka "the collective"). Most of your thoughts aren't your own.

[@HoKogan007]

Yup, I knew the first part. Basic psychology 101. I also believe the second part of your statement. I believe the way we articulate and how we create phrases and words comes from how others around us have said it. Which is the reason in how you can read great novels and fiction books and write great stories yourself.

[@immasavage2905]

I can confirm. That’s how I discovered my love for maths

[@yj9032]

Yeah, but 'putting people together' is also a genius act. Not everyone who 'puts people togather' is able to spot brilliance.

[@neneklampir6664]

It all depends to people around us. If you surrounded by people that lazy, don't have creative idea, always mocked your idea, always look down at your idea, have no manner on arguing your argument, then it's good to be alone. But if you surrounded by people that curious, have a good manner, never look down at you no matter how stupid your argument is, and always share their ideas, then It will be good to around them and you become morein creative. So, it all depends in the people nearby you.

[@predicate]

i think the problem with his reasoning is that he only draws examples from the business world where division of labor and marketing is everything. in other fields like science or art the accomplishments of an individual can actually have much bigger effects.

[@EsKaioS]

But there are times where an uninterrupted individual who works alone is able to imagine and create amazing works and ideas due to the lack of external input, no? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the case with Nikola Tesla?

[@aizaz1234]

The whole story of humanity is people getting together to accomplish things, its incredibly rare that people do it all themselves.

[@h4rdkn0x]

1) There are plenty of "lone wolf inventors" creative people that do not think like other that come up with awesome ideas, they are more than often overlooked and not always successful because they are different and groups of people do not like different as they often mistake it for that you are trying to be better than them. 2) Eureka moments are real but these solution are not always perfect and sometimes need fine tuning, without these moments of clarity most problems would have never been solved. 3) I agree that you don't always need to be an expert in something to come up with a great solution but not every idea is a good one and sometimes you need experts to help you pick the right idea.

[@kyleherbig]

+HardKnoX Upvoted for the most intellegent response here.

[@laneromel5667]

It took the physics community to understand Einsteins papers. They gave the Nobel prize to him for the Photo Electric effect because no one on the planet understood relativity.

[@pagamenews]

Thank you KZbin! I don't know how I got here (found this video), but this guy isn't good...he is GREAT! He's just "distilled" everything I have seen in business, but was never able to "wrap my head around" and verbalize what I'd experienced. This man has done it!

[@rhysherridge3614]

This is a failed attempt to raise talent to the level of genius, or worse still to pull the genius down to the level of talent. "Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see" -Arthur Schopenhauer "How's the air?" .. "what air"?

[@friesofwisdom4399]

"TIM SANDERS: Sales and Leadership Keynote Speaker" I guessed something was wrong when he started trying to equate Einstein to Steve jobs while clearly showing his lack of knowledge of science, and tried to belittle Einstein's accomplishments with no references for the nonsense that he is spewing forth. This guy is clearly a charlatan who might be a good motivational speaker, but knows nothing of which he proposes.

[@dujondunn2306]

I don't think he is a 100% correct but there is something to what he is saying. What needs to be separated is an idea and a vision from its implementation. Genius is often required to create an idea or identify a problem; however, very rarely is that idea fully realized by a single person. Einstein is no exception. Einstein collaborated with a mathematician called Grossmann to flesh out many aspects of his theory. Poincare also made some fundamental contributions. The Black Hole solution was discoverd by Karl Schwarzkild. Einstein actually didn't believe that such a thing existed. Einstein didn't even understand how to interpret the cosmological constant. The full realization of an idea often requires a community, but usually it takes some lone wolf/visionary to get the thing started.

[@peteroconnor5537]

So if Tesla did not resolve the AC motor on his own, who was in his team? If that invention was not a world changer, upon which all of the industrial world is based, then what is? Your arguments are not persuasive because they are not real. I think you mythed out on history classes.

[@stevepaulsson8266]

I worked in IT for 23 years, and continually ran into this kind of BS from sales & marketing. They would sell a customer on a product that hadn't been developed yet, then pushed the techies to develop it, not understanding that research is by definition a journey into the unknown and nobody can say ahead of time how long it will take or how much it will cost. Inevitably, the project starts running "late". Then management piles in more manpower, leading to the problem Fred Brooks described in The Mythical Man Month. "Trying to finish a project faster by adding more manpower is like trying to produce a baby in 1 month by getting 9 women pregnant". This jerk dismisses Einstein without even trying to justify himself: he and his sales team could have brainstormed Relativity, I guess.

[@philliparnesen4493]

So how do you rectify Davinci, Brunelleschi, Tesla, Newton, Archimedes, Maxwell, and Boltzmann?

[@karabomothupi9759]

Dont forget Einstein

[@Kimoto504]

All learned from others and referenced others' work. All worked with others in some capacity as well.

[@InPursuitOfCuriosity]

The point he was probably trying to make was that true success is accomplished through multiple minds - it's very rare for somebody to achieve true success without support from at least one other person along the way. However, I disagree that he "debunked" those 3 symbols of genius convincingly. He seems bitter about individual success being acknowledged - perhaps he contributed to some project and didn't receive the recognition he would have liked and has been resentful ever since.

[@LeonidasGGG]

Some of his points are true, but I have read the biography of Steve Jobs and John Lasseter, and the story is that thay HAVE TO solve many thing themselves so they can rally other to the cause. So in that sense they are "self-made" and "geniuses" because everyone could do it, but the fact remained that THEY did it.

[@BoteAMVCreator]

Eureka moments do exist but I agree they aren't exactly earth shattering stuff (they could become such though). I've had 3 during my 20s and if I could describe them and actually convey sth meaningful to others it would be this: a part or the whole brain feels like its expanding in a short interval. That's the physiological sensation. What goes on in your thoughts however is a kind of point of view change. Suddenly you 'know' that this is how you should think of things and can't believe you did not realize it sooner. But in retrospect the only reason you managed to come this far is an insane amount of effort invested over a large period of time: thinking, learning, getting frustrated, getting depressed cause you're not making progress etc. The eureka moment is you just 'crossing the line' but it was a long way up to it. Hope that makes at least a bit of sense.

[@ncedwards1234]

Yep, I often hear the phrase that at a certain point an idea "clicks," but people seem to often overlook that this isn't instantaneously learning something in a vacuum. It's just when you can consciously create a strong tie between this new idea and an old one you already know well. It takes layers and layers of prior thought for this "click" to even be possible. Learning is complicated.

[@SandBoxZen]

Lone inventors are the ones named inventors steal ideas from.

[@pelckarol]

Dear Tim Sanders. Your video was career changing. Thank you for this unique and fresh perspective on work, innovation and collaboration.

[@Healitnow]

Sorry I am a genius and a lone wolf inverter. I have several creations that are unique and patents in progress or not started yet.

[@jamesblank2024]

Mr. Sanders is mistakenly equating collaborative effort of bringing business products to market to realizations in scientific discovery. Scientific breakthroughs are made by small collaborations and lone individuals. It is the individual who realizes the paradigm change. That is, the breakthrough moment of clarity. It takes a mixture of brilliance, persistence, ambition, hard work, and disregard for prevailing doctrine.

[@DJuTube4]

i get that making it come to life it takes a bunch of talent. but the initial idea still came from one person.

[@DJuTube4]

+AwoudeX i agree just not credit for the initial creative idea.

[@DJuTube4]

+AwoudeX the credit they deserve is in the project it took to bring the creative idea to its goal which may also involve some creative thinking but that does not take away from the inital persons inital creative idea. The whole thing would never be without that.

[@Berelore]

So you're eureka moment was that there are no eureka moments? Seems legit.

[@ConnehGoesHAM]

DeBUNK: My nigga ARTIST FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS HAVE PROVEN YOU WRONG.

[@batman5224]

What about writers, such as Hemingway, Poe, and Stoker? When it comes to art, uniqueness is the most important thing.

[@psychologyis]

I liked when he was describing his eureka moment of realizing there are no eureka moments.

[@Crystallinesonic]

I think he's absolutely right. I think some romantics will be dismissive of this video, though. He could have avoided this by acknowledging individual genius, before making his claim. Certainly there are geniuses (people of extraordinary creative or intellectual ability), but ALL geniuses (even Tesla, Newton, Einstein, Joyce, Homer, Shakespeare, da Vinci) are indebted to others in profound ways. Genius exists, to be sure--but it's not as "individual" as most people think.

[@michaeltape8282]

I respectfully disagree. He seems to not have well rounded experience on this topic. Both lone inventors and eureka moments certainly exist. I've seen it myself.

[@tomhasling]

Wheel, gun powder, e=mc2, telescope, vaccines, antibiotics and on and on all changed the world in profound ways.

[@LTL-62]

What about all the great artists they're Geniuses, most to my knowledge were lone wolves not collaborators. I know they had their circles but collaboration was rare and great pieces of work came from the individuals mind alone. Writers, Painters, Musicians. This guy purely focused on the corporate side. Pixar and Toy Story shouldn't be considered as artistic hallmarks. It's the love child of Disney and so now all artistic merit is lost.

[@DesignTechie]

I love this I used to idolize James Dyson until I realized his idea was part of a collaborative effort in design and engineering

[@paulkerridge6001]

???? I'm alone inventor. I have invented a thing on my own. I solved a problem all on my own. You can't rule anything out.....I have de-bunked him, and he does not even know it. Once you think you know......you limit yourself to the true power of knowing nothing to solve everything. If he can contact me on here, I will show him how wrong he is.

[@paulkerridge6001]

***** Exactly. Therefore its a belief. BE/LIE/f. And not the truth...Thats not knowing...like you say, its just a thought. And Im proof that he is making his limited observations and imagination,true. But then he did say he works in marketing, lol.

[@paulkerridge6001]

Your so right. It started with 1 persons idea. 10 people can't have 1 idea at the same time. He is trying to get around that, by ignoring a single idea may need others to bring it together. Thats like saying I need to mine the iron ore to make my thing, and if I don't I can't claim its my idea. And this "Lone wolf" title is a bit negatively loaded, don't you think?

[@DJuTube4]

+mark dutson I agree, he is confusing the "Creative Idea" with the entire project that it takes to bring it to fruition. Its not the same thing!

[@TweEkc]

+mark dutson sure they could, look at the history of calculus. it wasn't just newton shaking that boat, and today we now use a couple different peoples interpretations of calculus as a single class. roughly the same time period hundreds of miles apart the same ideas were had, and this feeds back in to the video here, to overcome problems with the limits of math at the time. they solved problems, and arrived at similar answers though the path may be different.

[@paulkerridge6001]

The ideas what Im talking about don't come from me, they use me. Your talking about ideas you understand. The ideas you have and what you understand....you understand. I had to work my ideas out. You are very much out of the ball park of what I am saying. aoeusnth &TweEkc. I find this very hard to explain to others who automatically think they understand with what they know about their old. New is almost impossible to explain as it is not recognised by anyone....let alone being understood and brought into being by many others at the same time! Im sorry but you just won't get it. It goes far deeper than you could imagine. And it is beyond me too, Im unlucky and am subjected to it constantly, and will never fully know, even though it uses me and drains me and drives me mad trying to work them/it out. A chap who works in marketing talking about ideas is a bit comedic to me.

[@canadiancontent352]

I had a eureka moment in my understanding when he told his genius analogy about the fish

[@jpgrumbach8562]

Einstein liked to take advice concerning the mathematical side of problems. Generally it will be bread and butter for scientist at universities to talk to everyone who cares to listen, who is interested. Because you can never know. The solution or the way to it may come from an unconnected area.

[@ahasan1995ah]

Nikola Tesla? without A.C.....I don't think their would be this video -_-

[@alexgrey2088]

And yet after Steve jobs death you can see a big quality reduction of the apple company

[@216trixie]

"Aha' moment? Yes. Archimedes. Lone wolves? Yes. Einstein, Newton, Galileo, Tesla, et. al............But......Most of what he says, is generally, true.

[@Laserwad]

Tesla is the biggest myth of a lone wolf inventor. Tesla was primarily a showman. To his credit, though, he knew he was a mere EE and inventor. I'm not aware he ever tried to pass himself off as a physicist or even a scientist. All of his supposed inventions predate his work on them; even the 'Tesla coil' was invented 20 years before he was born! Same thing with transformers, and polyphase electric motor (which he stole from Galileo Ferraris, and was sued for it). There are, however, genuine cases of lone wolf geniuses, or original thinkers. In the purely intellectual realm, an example is Gauss, who singlehandedly contributed to every single branch of mathematics. Or... John Bardeen, the only man to win the Physics Nobel twice. Unlike Tesla, Bardeen is an actual unknown genius (to the public). He is not a household name but has had more impact on our human civilization than almost all other physicists. Yet, with all of his accomplishments, he was a very down-to-earth, decent person with hardly any eccentricity.

[@oscarroque01]

What an excellent video... Thanks!

[@WillTalbot]

Videos like these are part of the reason I'm still subscribed to BigThink

[@osmanyousaf7866]

E=mc2 was developed from the study of magnetism to its representation of the relation between mass and energy, by many scientists ... J.J.Thompson, O.Heavyside, J.H.Poynting, H.Poincaré, Fritz Hasenöhrl. By the time that F. Hasenöhrl published his work and thought experiments, it's fair to say that Einstein stepped on their shoulders in order to advanced his studies of the equivalence of mass and energy.

[@ad1990]

This may be the case sometimes, but there are indeed 'Lone Wolf Geniuses', at least in the arena of music. Think Beethoven, Mozart, etc. Yes, Beethoven was inspired by Mozart, and Mozart by Haydn, but inspiration is not the same as genius. If they were one in the same, than anyone who got 'inspired' by such composers could write classical music, but that is obviously not the case. This guys argument is flawed.

[@JacobKuba]

wow Steve Jobs a genius! yeah I think he was a genius at marketing, because I don't know how you can sell crappy products at ridiculous prices without people even noticing

[@tiffles3890]

+Jacob Kuba Haha. I agree.

[@jameslove4432]

This guy should read about a very little known guy named Sir Isaac Newton. Poor guy's head would be so filled with various eureka ideas that he sometimes didn't even make it out of bed; he'd get as far as sitting up, his head would explode with ideas, and his assistant would have to bring him his meals in bed. Just sitting there. From rise to dusk, working out all these ideas that flew to his head upon consciousness. He also invented calculus, just to help him with a problem. Later, some other brilliant men, geniuses by any other standard, made a bet to solve some problem, but couldn't get past a certain point. One of these two went to newton, who replied "Oh, yes, I've solved that, with something I called calculus.", but couldn't find his work. Because there was too much other work of equal value in his house! Imagine, stopping by your friends place, concerned about your dad who just got cancer, and your buddy's all like "Oh, that? I solved that. it's around here somewhere ...." Literal genius, with a provable track record, by several sources. Again, maybe read a book before doing one of these Big Think speeches. Could save some face ....

[@natasham7809]

4:20 re Toy Story: “Tell the story from the toys’ point of view, when We’ve never historically had a toy have any narrative to draw on” um, “Winnie the Poo” the “Raggedy Anne”stories, “The Velveteen Rabbit” “Pinocchio”; did I miss something here?

[@balum8725]

Srinivas Ramanujan was a lone genius....he derived 100 yrs of mathematical theories and identities that too with no formal training in maths and without anyones help....yes there are lone geniuses but they are rare...

[@ttwilightzzone]

Steve Jobs wasn't a genius. Woz was the genius...

[@Charles-Anthony]

Isaac Newton was an extreme lone wolf, and he was one of the greatest of geniuses.

[@dinulwijetunge5917]

If you reslly analyse it, SIR Isac newton the great CHRISTIAN alchemist was the only one who shook the world Alone with calculus optics gravitation and motion. No One, i mean no one doubts he is the greatest (Sir) includig the greatest of all time (Einstein) mentioning Sir numerously on papers.

[@M3l_0N666]

He also stole other people's ideas. The invention of the light bulb for instance was actually Teslas.

[@dinulwijetunge5917]

@@M3l_0N666 read about it properly, Edison was a big man before Tesla, and tesla went to work for him went he was rolling out the bulb in retail and advising to switch the US govt. to DC electricity when Tesla proposed his AC patents and Edison shun him for pride. Read about it it’s very interesting..

[@RaySquirrel]

Still Newton himself admitted to “standing on the shoulders of giants.”

[@rockface.4812]

@@RaySquirrel Newton wasn't being serious when he said that. He was actually mocking his rival Robert Hooke who was apparently hunchbacked and shortheighted.

[@quantgeekery6358]

Tesla. Faraday & Archimedes were the three that popped into head. Debunking Einstein as an inventor, specifically, makes no sense: He was a mathematical physicist.

[@GlossaME]

The comments, for the first time, reinforced my belief. This guy is a distraction, nothing more.

[@meandmymouth]

Surely the "genius" quality comes from having some sort of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) where the subject sees a problem or enquiry, believes that there may be a solution and then can't leave it alone until it is solved. Some animals display this behaviour when they sense the presence of potential prey. It's a shame they call it "disorder" because so many great discoveries have been found thanks to this condition. Whilst the genius may depend on the contributions of others the unique talent he has depends on his being obsessed enough to focus concentration laser like on the solution sometimes to the exclusion of everything else.

[@peteryunge-bateman5807]

Sales and marketing, where the most successful psychologists ply their manipulations of our emotions to compel more and more consumption and production. This is what we think Big Think is. Have a creative life. With empathy, Pete.

[@bdafeesh]

What a great list. Definitely changed my perspective on this

[@kickinghorse2405]

We are the ones we've been waiting for. "You have been telling people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered… Where are you living? What are you doing? What are your relationships? Are you in right relation? Where is your water? Know your garden. It is time to speak your truth. Create your community. Be good to each other. And do not look outside yourself for your leader." “This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt. *The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word ’struggle’ from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. --Hopi Elders' Prophecy, June 8, 2000

[@lanreolaneniloi127]

This guy is superfluous! Yes there are individuals that create on their own.Some people are influenced by an idea, some a dream.

[@enchiladaplatter1]

"whats water?" I DIED XD

[@gustavostabe2490]

This feels like it should be common sense but sadly happens to often. What's so hard to understand about taken in all ideas and then using logic and education to shift through and distinguish the good ideas from the bad. Any time I've been in a position of leadership, I've always asked for everyone's opinion on the task at hand. Figured I'd give everyone a chance to speak, find an idea that I hadn't thought of, and learn something new that maybe we can use later

[@ncedwards1234]

Yeah people easily fall into groupthink unless there's a leader actively breaking that mold.

[@Lazy_Llama]

This actually freed myself from alot of self induced pressure thanks

[@beegum1]

I agree and try not to tell people they need to be more careful with challenges unless they're apparently obstinate and that's why their ideas are bad. I like asking people how we can improving banking and whatnot and think we really could do better if more people put some thought into it.

[@beegum1]

But if they're like, "banks R evul", or whatever, there's little point in continuing the discussion.

[@TPS-now]

I completely agree, there is no such as lone genius, there is instead collaborative intelligence. A successful ceo is the collaborative work of engineers, admin staff, executives and guess what janitors too. A scientist can’t work without earlier researches of fellow scientists. We just can’t admit that there is no such lone genius, cause it makes things more difficult for our brain to understand, and we the idea of superheroes

[@MRawash]

I understand his argument (collaboration between good talents produces better results than any one "genius" could ever accomplish on their own), but I feel like he's redefining "genius" here to make it fit into his own narrative. Plenty of historical and contemporary "geniuses" could be easily described as "lone wolfs", as well as countless unrecognised ones. Genius can and does exist in isolation of the group, though it rarely translates into success. So, his argument makes better sense in the corporate context, where results/profits are more important than personal passions.

[@VictorF0326]

You can never be a businessman and inventor at the same time. Period.

[@harris977]

Yup it was the sales guy who let me go, and he ended up divorcing and putting the company to the ruins.

[@ahmedbob423]

A mind full of conclusions has no room for expansion.

[@uranium1232]

the fish example was cool !

[@JazzGuitar420]

Maybe lone wolves can't be geniuses in business and technology settings, but those settings are mostly superficial and frivolous, so it doesn't really matter. If you want to be a genius don't let this video spook you out of your solitude.

[@AFlyingBacon]

Examples of people stealing ideas from geniuses does not mean there are no geniuses, it means people are stealing their ideas, and taking credit for them...

[@rocklee619]

Good topic to speak on. Nice

[@devilsadvocate9011]

I gained 2 IQ points watching this, then read the comments and lost 5.

[@irishguy200007]

Don't ever share your information with anyone as they will steal your idea.

[@poolboyinla]

What's with these videos lately?

[@DJuTube4]

+Travis Kraft Yeah, they will let anyone spout off their beliefs. I agree, he is confusing the "Creative Idea" with the entire project that it takes to bring it to fruition. Its not the same thing!

[@LifeTheUniverse_andEverything]

Einstein actually shook the very foundations of physics, completely (I mean it) alone, with out any person or institution backing him, and if that wasn't astonishing enough did it in his spare time from his job as a patient office clerk. His 5 1905 papers changed the world. His paper on special relativity contained almost no experiment's that influenced it beforehand. He arrived at it completely in his mind, in his daydreams while sitting at the office. He was an unparalleled genius, even declined not only as a professor but also as a highschool teacher before the world discovered him. History has many examples like Newton, Faraday, Cavendish, Tesla... and much more. So yeah there are geniuses who single handedly change the world and do so even in the most dire of situations . Einstein is the greatest example perhaps.

[@chocomalk]

I think limited research is limited? Steve Jobs was not an inventor so why use him as reference? lol?

[@JoopMedia]

I feel your perceived lack of 'Lone Wolf Genius' faith is more a reflection of your own abilities and limitations, not mine, or Teslas, or Einstein, and hundreds of thousands of other 'lone' inventors and innovators around the world. Collaboration is not a prerequisite for innovation or invention, unless you need other people to come up with the ideas for you.... Disagree 100%

[@jack-of-all-trades9235]

uhm leanardo da vinci, one of the people i look up and respect. he was i believe independent enough to be a lone genius. probably thee smartest man to live in my experience, also beethoven, jon lennon when he went solo and many other artist. capitalist and salesmen are just white collar thieves.