Tara Sattar
Mark Zuckerberg once said to the audience in Stanford in his public speech that “ no scientist who has not made a contribution to science before 30, will never do.”
Albert Einstein and Mark Zuckerberg are often kept on the same plate because they both have had the same kind of experience in their early age. Hey both believe that the power lies in creativity, innovation and genius.
However, David Galenson, economist of University of Chicago, begs to differ. He thinks this concept is ageist and wrong. He exemplified Charles Darwin and Virginia Woolf. He thinks that the late blooming geniuses should be given the recognition they deserve.
The problem , perhaps, is that the term “genius” is overused nowadays. The ones who don’t deserve it by far are ended up being slammed with the word where as the many women and men who have actual contributions to the virtue remain unrecognized. The word ‘genius’ is derived from the Greek word for birth,” writes Galenson in Old Masters and Young Geniuses, “and since the Renaissance, philosophers and critics have associated creative genius with youth.”
Despite what the Facebook genius stated the study has shown that much of the innovations were actually made during 40s. All the Nobel laureates had won their prize for the great discoveries which came to them during their 40s.
However, the bitter half of the truth is that the older people hwo make great achievements do not get the adequate attention that they are entitled to as opposed to their younger counterparts. What Galenson thinks is that they require to be highlighted in a new way. They need a new branding and marketing to show their brilliance.
Galenson refers to them as “Maestros”, or a person who excels in a certain area like painting, music, writing, inventing etc.
The question remains who would stand up for the old masters who gave us some of the most significant discoveries? People like Oprah Winfrey and alike should get their version of the gratitude.