Horizon: The Human Mind

Let’s probe again into the human mind, with a recent installment of BBC Horizon, asking the question “What Makes a Genius?” Can science explain Shakespeare, Newton, Mozart, Einstein, Kasparov, The Beatles? Let’s pop open a cool brewsky and get some chips, this is going to be interesting! I thought that maybe we ought to start with defining what exactly a genius is, otherwise, you know, you’ll end up arguing over semantics... But the program failed in that respect. They use synonyms, such as “extreme talent,” “incredible intelligence,” and “uninhibited imagination.” Mostly, the program discusses intelligence, particularly with respect to mathematics. So there’s a lot of talk about how to measure intelligence, whether intelligence is genetically acquired, whether it depends on brain structure and/or brain patterns, or if it can be learned by anyone. Although interesting, ultimately much remains vague.

From watching mice in cages with manipulated genes we learn that the process of learning depends on the ability of making neurological connections that allow us to remember our experiences and implement the lesson in similar future events. Of course we all know about those ridiculous IQ tests kids have to go through these days – and how much they actually fail to predict anything. Patterns in our brain activity, however, seem to indicate a predisposition to certain talents. And then there are all those silly “Mozart for Baby Genius” CDs... That leads to unanswered questions about the importance of nurture, upbringing, the environment in which you grow up. And it’s only toward the end that we get a fascinating bit about creativity. Here we hear about our brain’s inhibitory and excitatory urges that help us include or exclude external stimuli, meaning that with a lower inhibitory and higher excitatory urge our brain processes more external stimuli which in turn increases our creativity. The show makes no mention of drugs, but I thought that’s exactly why many artists take drugs. I don’t know, should I complain? I’m a big fan of this program, but I feel that this installment was quite a disappointment.