Great Minds

Do you think great minds are overrated?

 

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20 Responses to Great Minds

  1. Ursula says:

    No, I don’t think great minds are overrated. What I do think is that NOT so “great” minds are UNDER rated. Sure, we can all wax lyrical on Wittgenstein and his poker but sometimes it’s more life enhancing to meet and speak to someone who fells trees. The Earth’s elements are good that way. Go to the shore. Find a fisherman or a lighthouse keeper. They’ll have more wisdom imparted on you in five minutes (without talking much) than Stephen Hawkins could do me in a lifetime.

    But yes, outside philosophy, art and other not nailed to the ground machinations, I do admire the great minds (and their intense focus on the task in hand) of inventors, scientists, mathematicians, engineers.

    And if someone wants to talk to me about their delicious “borrito” that’s fine too. If push comes to shove I’ll even tolerate a photo of it without thinking lesser of the sender.

    U

  2. tammy j says:

    i honestly don’t know.
    people who spend their entire lifetime studying just ONE thing and then to be called “great” because of it …
    i couldn’t agree with that.
    knowledge and greatness to me are two different things.
    it’s just all semantics i suppose.
    although thank goodness for many of those ‘great knowledge’ types because they forward mankind in ways that are needed no doubt.
    it’s the self proclaimed ‘great experts’ i’m so tired of. they’re everywhere now. spouting their greatness. LOL!!!
    the marine calls them “talking heads.”

  3. Rummuser says:

    No, I don’t. It all depends on the context and the person whose mind is being discussed.

  4. Audra E says:

    Ideas–events–people–food/sensory experience…. I think people are more or less born to gravitate toward one of those as their major way of responding, interpreting, enjoying. Like some of today’s commenters, I agree that there’s nothing particularly great about being born one way or another, or about being someone who specializes vs someone who generalizes. It’s what you do with it that determines “greatness”. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help smiling at the hierarchy. Made me laugh, made me want to jump up and explain my viewpoint…… ohoh, I’m one of those born to spend a lot of time with ideas without it making me great. So I don’t mind Hillary’s supposed uninteresting wonkiness, her “tonedeafness” at mentioning fact checking during the debate. That was right up there in a list of the most interesting moments to me.

    • Jean says:

      I laughed at the hierarchy, too. Here in America people who like to discuss ideas are called Nerds. Low on the totem pole, not at the top. 🙂

  5. Linda Sand says:

    To me, great minds are people who can express ideas in a way that makes me see things in a new light. That would make most of the bloggers I read great minds.

  6. Looney says:

    I just had a good sandwich. Ordered double meat. Was quite fascinated with the way the chef was laying out the slices. The girl after me ordered a sandwich and then it was made discovered she didn’t quite have enough money to pay for it. The girl was forgiven, and my wife and I pondered whether or not forgiveness was more likely for someone who was young and cute. Thus, I am not sure where to position myself, since I tend to be in all the four categories simultaneously.

  7. Cathy in NZ says:

    I haven’t said this for a while:

    It Depends!

    However, if the great mind was asked something simple like what is the best way to:

    boil an egg
    tie a reef knot
    change a light bulb
    slice up a tomato

    or something similar…

    probably couldn’t do it until they researched which type of:

    egg/water
    all the types of knots
    which brand
    what kind of knife & then which tomato type

  8. Rummuser says:

    Truly great minds can not be over rated. Let us just take Einstein for instance. Whether he was talking about the theory of relativity or philosophy, his insights were awesome.

    • Jean says:

      I also think of Galileo and Newton, but they weren’t humanitarians like Einstein.

      You sent me this quote:

      einstein-quote

      I do think he’s being too simplistic there. I think George W. Bush thought he was saving the world from weapons of mass destruction and the Iraqis from Saddam when he invaded Iraq. He wasn’t content to just sit and watch evil. Instead he ended up destabilizing the Middle East and probably Europe. Albert Camus has a point: “…good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they lack understanding.”

  9. Cindi says:

    If they are truly great and not just spouting facts from their higher education
    then I say no, they aren’t over-rated.
    It’s just people who like to constantly referencing quotes from Shakespeare or such, that drive me nuts.
    Being book smart doesn’t impress me as much as common sense.

    • Jean says:

      As Cathy points out, great minds don’t necessarily have everyday common sense. That doesn’t mean they can’t contribute a lot. I think most people agree with you — if anything they look down on people who are book smart. That doesn’t stop book lovers from reading, of course. 🙂

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