Genius, Morality & Existentialism

During his lecture, McMahon brought up one of Pseudo-Aristotle’s (thought to be Aristotle until recently discovered not to be) observations on geniuses. In Problem 30, the author says something along the lines of  'Why are all outstanding men in philosophy or politics or literature or in the arts obvious melancholics, and in fact some of them to the extent that they have succumbed to the symptoms which arise from black bile?' McMahon then discussed how the humours, or bodily liquids, were once used to explain a person’s temperament. Here however, it seems as though Pseudo-Aristotle uses a humourous lens to look at genius, suggesting that there is a type of madness associated with genius. This passage reminded me of the tormented intellect, the darkness and sadness that is so often witnessed in brilliant people, such as many of the philosophers we read. But McMahon did not go on to the explore a possible pattern of depression among geniuses. Instead, he took a different approach, returning to this dark side of genius by describing the divine power of the genius to both create and to destruct. This potential for good or evil separates geniuses into heroes and villains, as McMahon’s examples of Einstein and Hitler demonstrates.

I think there’s an interesting parallel in this potential for both bad and good that lies in the genius, alongside the infinite possibilities that the existentialist faces. Just as the genius transcends societal norms of behavior, beliefs, and morality, the existentialist must create his or her own values as well. Both the genius and the existentialist seem to comprehend that make-or-break moment—to go to the good side or the bad. For existentialism, it occurs when confronting the ethical implications of our freedom. Perhaps the Einsteinian existentialist would look something like Simone de Beauvoir, who embraces our moral freedom and insisting on moral responsibility. On the other hand, the Hitler existentialist might also be a nihilist.

Another similarity is the tension between the individual and the They. We can see how the category genius rests upon a fundamental assumption of inequality, as the genius must stand out from the rest of humanity. Over and over again, existentialists address the tension between the individual and the world one’s thrown into. It appears between Heidegger’s DaSein and Das Man, as well as in the singularity of every person’s ownmost possibility of death. While I don’t think existentialism is necessarily anti-democratic, I think these connections with genius are fascinating.