Stetson’s Reviews > The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea > Status Update
Stetson
is 3% done
Opens with Musk portrait, who would most likely be the consensus figure of genius identified by the zeitgeist when corrected for partisan blinders. She uses the flawed Musk to transition to her criticism of our cultural understand of genius as a property inherent to an individual - usually a domineering and eccentric male with talents that happen to be in demand in a particular time and space.
— Jan 22, 2026 10:20AM
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Stetson’s Previous Updates
Stetson
is 23% done
Lewis has assembled a book around a category error. Her problem isn't with "genius" per se, it's that we (society) make allowances and create indulgences for high status individuals. This is an aspect of basic human behavior. All the justifications are post hoc anyway. Dissecting them is like trying to chase down shadows. No one thinks Trump is an actual genius but normal political rules do not obtain.
— Jan 23, 2026 02:47PM
Stetson
is 13% done
Begins to trace the cultural origins of the "genius myth" starting with Avonian Willy then proceeding through to the Romantics and then eventually settle on Galton, who systematizes the concept and makes it an innate property.
— Jan 23, 2026 06:08AM
