Joseph Addison’s essay “On Genius, published in The Spectator in 1711, laid out the terrain of genius as we use the term today, to denote exceptional talent or someone who possesses it. According to Addison, there are two kinds of genius- natural and learned… In general terms this dichotomy- brilliant vs. industrious- still underlies our notion of genius today, but despite Thomas Edison’s oft quoted adage, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration,” it’s the inspiration we dote on.
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