Additional Thoughts on Genius Rights

This article is just a collection of notes on Genius Rights and a follow up to the Genius Rights Manifesto. So it is not a coherent article, but just a collection of thoughts, which I may modify periodically.

Below are few points that are important for the protection of genius rights.

1. Society has to accept and openly spread that geniuses are real and biologically determined mutants. This may be obvious for geniuses, but most people, who are misinformed on this topic, find the thought ridiculous. This is partially because many media channels, including Malcom Gladwell and many biographers, spread misinformation about neurological outliers. In reality a genius is born with exceptional abilities and has no choice over it. It does not mean that one is exceptional at everything. Since one has unusual information processing abilities, one can do certain things that are considered unusual/exceptional/impossible. In a sense a genius has mental “superpowers”
2. The most important point of genius rights is not to protect Steve Jobs or Elon Musk or Ray Dalio when they are CEOs of multi-billion dollar companies, but to protect the next Steve Jobs, next Elon Musk, next Einstein, next Turing when they are between 20 to 30 years old. One aspect that many people do not realize is that there is significant survivorship bias with geniuses, since many geniuses face significant discrimination and harm at a young age. Many succumb under that trauma and we never hear about them. Many become disillusioned by society and lose the desire to contribute. Another tragic outcome is that some geniuses may end up in prison for retaliating against the prolonged discrimination.
3. Not only does society have to broadly accept that geniuses are real and biologically determined, but ideally schools should teach students, that geniuses are real and that geniuses may face discrimination. Therefore it is important to counteract that. Just as schools inform students about other sociological discrimination phenomena including racism, homophobia and anti-semitism, we should inform students about discrimination of geniuses as a naturally occurring sociological phenomenon, that needs to be counteracted.
4. In most cases, if someone is a neurological outlier it is apparent from a very young age. In addition to unusual abilities, a genius may also show significant difficulties/challenges in some areas. This is why most geniuses are likely to be 2e (twice exceptional). They have exceptional/unusual abilities, but also some very big weaknesses. Yet because there is not much open discussion on geniuses, there are significant misunderstandings on the topic.
5. For a genius it may be difficult to gauge one’s own “superpowers”, because they are so natural for the genius, as the genius was born with them. Hence the best way for other people to understand such a scenario is by perspective shift. Imagine if you have “superpowers”, from your perspective it feels as if others seem challenged with something that is really easy. So the genius does not perceive them as “superpowers”, because that is all the genius knows. The genius perceives as if others are missing something, or are unable to capture or do something. This itself is a source of misunderstandings.
6. Self-labeling of geniuses should not be frowned upon in certain settings and should not be a big deal. Currently, society ridicules self-labeling of geniuses and there is a derogative term “self-proclaimed genius”. No one ever uses these types of terms for other minorities. There are no terms like “self-proclaimed homosexual” or “self-proclaimed jew” or “self-proclaimed autistic”. The only person that can assess one’s identity is oneself. A genius should not need someone’s endorsement to be open about one’s identity.
7. Self-labeling is important so geniuses can explain themselves and can be understood by others. Self-labeling is important so the life experiences of people like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Turing can be understood. Self-labeling is important to avoid misunderstandings in behavior and communication.
8. People are free to believe or not believe the self-labeling statement. But making a self-labeling statement itself should be fully acceptable and not frowned upon. People can ask questions to understand why a genius holds that view or ask what that genius’ exceptional abilities are. For most geniuses this identity question is easy to answer, because it was part of their entire life experience.
9. Self-labeling is important in interactions with the law enforcement agencies, so the agencies have the most accurate perspective on the circumstances of each case. Self-labeling could also be useful in educational institutions and professional settings.
10. Sometimes I hear people say that geniuses lack emotional intelligence. This is a misunderstanding! Genius don’t lack emotional intelligence. They have emotional intelligence for geniuses and may lack some of it for non-geniuses. Just as non-geniuses lack emotional intelligence for geniuses. One can only have emotional intelligence for someone, who shares a similar life experience, which is why non-geniuses lack emotional intelligence for geniuses and vice-versa.
11. Before geniuses are labeled as narcissistic or sociopathic, people should clearly understand and define the meaning of these terms and make sure they really hold true. Otherwise it is an unwarranted attack. They should ask questions to understand why a genius holds a specific view or behaves a certain way before labeling. The best way to understand a minority is by discussing and understanding the views of minority members, without pre-labeling. People should stay openminded and consider that they are likely to misunderstand a genius, because they do not share that life experience. In general, geniuses have a different psychological makeup from non-geniuses so many labels may not apply.
12. It would be great if a wide variety of geniuses could openly discuss their life experiences, so people could develop a better understanding of what it is like being a genius. This will eliminate many misconceptions and engrained prejudices. Unfortunately, since people like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk or Ray Dalio are in public positions, if they openly discussed their perspectives, without any prior societal discussion, many people would retaliate against these public figures. And this could compromise their companies.
13. People have to understand that because many geniuses capture reality differently, they may have different behavior, different motivations, different goals than non-geniuses. Therefore, people should ask more questions to understand the motivation and behavior of geniuses, to avoid misunderstandings and other complications. People should not assume that a genius would behave like them or strive for the same things as them, because life and the world can be a completely different experience for many geniuses.
14. We should implement public awareness initiatives like Genius Awareness Month, public campaigns against Genius-phobia and Social Science Degrees in Genius Studies.
15. Any significant discrimination against a genius should be treated as a hate crime and a human rights violation, to create a deterring effect. Geniuses have been discriminated against and punished for centuries. Ironically, they are the ones that are moving the human race forward with their exceptional and unusual abilities, and breakthroughs. Geniuses need to be protected!