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Divine fury : a history of genius / Darrin M. McMahon.

By:

McMahon, Darrin M

Material type: Text

TextPublication details: New York : Basic Books , 2013Description: 312 p. : illus. ; 25 cmISBN:

9780465003259

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

153.9809 MCM

LOC classification:

BF416.A1 M35 2013

Summary: Genius. The word connotes an almost unworldly power: the power to create, to grasp universal secrets, even to destroy. As historian Darrin McMahon explains in Divine Fury, the concept of genius can be traced back to antiquity, when men of great insight were thought to be advised by demons. The modern idea of genius emerged in tension with a growing belief in human equality; contesting the notion that all are created equal, geniuses served to dramatize the exception of extraordinary individuals not governed by ordinary laws. Today, the idea of genius has become cheapened-rock stars and football coaches earn the term with seemingly the same ease as astrophysicists and philosophers - yet our enduring fascination with it reflects the desires, needs, and fears of ordinary human beings. The first comprehensive history of this mysterious yet foundational concept, Divine Fury follows the fortunes of genius from Socrates to Napoleon to Einstein and beyond, analyzing its democratization, disappearance, and potential rebirth.

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Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Libro - Monografía	Biblioteca Pública de San Miguel de Allende, A.C. Sala Ingles	153.9809 (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Available		053313

Browsing Biblioteca Pública de San Miguel de Allende, A.C. shelves, Shelving location: Sala Ingles Close shelf browser (Hides shelf browser)

Previous								Next
Previous	153.6 ALD If I understood you, would I have this look on my face? : my adventures in the art and science of relating and communicating	153.83 VEN The optimist's telescope : thinking ahead in a reckless age	153.9 BLO Genius : a mosaic of one hundred exemplary creative minds	153.9809 Divine fury : a history of genius	154.2 BAR Before you know it : the unconscious reasons we do what we do	154.2 KAN The age of insight : the quest to understand the unconscious in art, mind, and brain : from Vienna 1900 to the present	155.23 HAM Living with our genes : why they matter more than you think	Next

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Genius. The word connotes an almost unworldly power: the power to create, to grasp universal secrets, even to destroy. As historian Darrin McMahon explains in Divine Fury, the concept of genius can be traced back to antiquity, when men of great insight were thought to be advised by demons. The modern idea of genius emerged in tension with a growing belief in human equality; contesting the notion that all are created equal, geniuses served to dramatize the exception of extraordinary individuals not governed by ordinary laws. Today, the idea of genius has become cheapened-rock stars and football coaches earn the term with seemingly the same ease as astrophysicists and philosophers - yet our enduring fascination with it reflects the desires, needs, and fears of ordinary human beings. The first comprehensive history of this mysterious yet foundational concept, Divine Fury follows the fortunes of genius from Socrates to Napoleon to Einstein and beyond, analyzing its democratization, disappearance, and potential rebirth.

English

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