What is genius? How do we define it? Why does it fascinate us so deeply? And why did it cost Socrates his life?
In The Genius of Socrates, Dr. Darrin McMahon of Dartmouth College will take you back to the Classical world to explore the idea of genius and how its origins reflect its persistent ability to both attract and frighten us. As you look back on the trial of Socrates and its impact on later cultures, you will see how the conception of genius was first shaped and how it transformed over time from ancient Greece to the present day.
Pilot Lecture: The Genius of Socrates
Consider the wisdom and legacy of Socrates to uncover the nature of genius and why it fascinates us so much.
Overview
01: The Genius of Socrates
The idea of genius—of individuals with vast intellects and access to secret knowledge—is a complicated one. As Dr. Darrin McMahon reveals in The Genius of Socrates, much of our understanding of genius originates in the Classical world and its complicated idea of genius as a quality that was both alluring and dangerous.
26 min
