Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) wrote extensively about the phenomenon of genius. His notes provide clues on how to increase one’s creativity and critical thinking. They give hands-on advice on increasing one’s self-awareness and self-reliance. Let us examine Schopenhauer’s recommendations and see if they can be applied here and now. I am going to be drawing the recommendations from Schopenhauer’s books, especially from “Parerga and Paralipomena” in its edition of 1851. Why do geniuses possess higher creativity? Schopenhauer argued that geniuses are more creative because of their ability to transcend their own interests, rise above them, and examine problems dispassionately. I regard Schopenhauer’s explanation as obviously wrong. It contradicts all human experience to affirm that people become more creative when they don’t care. Look at your life. You tend to think more sharply when you are interested in the outcome. It’s false to say that uninterested people are more creative. Schopenhauer should have linked his explanation to resilience, not to indifference. He should have argued that self-confident, self-reliant persons tend to be more creative because they can keep a cool head in times of trouble. Here is a major lesson: if you want to become more creative and get closer to genius level, keep a cool head. Stay calm and examine the facts. Get an accurate picture of the situation. This does not mean that you should be indifferent to the outcome. Schopenhauer observed that geniuses appear to be fearless, or at least, less fearful than the average person. In “Parerga and Paralipomena,” he noted that geniuses are willing to do what needs to be done. They are willing to go as far as necessary to get problems solved. Average people are rarely willing to risk upsetting their boss and will not tread beyond what’s known to be acceptable. They will limit themselves to doing as much as they can, even if that means leaving the problem at hand unsolved. Genius is the outcome of fearless dedication and creativity. It needs consistency, motivation and energy. It revolves around truth and truth only. It will not sway or sugar-coat its views to avoid controversy. A strong determination to get things done is an essential element in creativity and genius. Schopenhauer sustained that genius has no country and that it arises everywhere. I regard his statement as an exaggeration. The truth is that genius does not arise everywhere. Most cases of genius (such as Schopenhauer himself) result from massive encouragement from family and friends. From all children in eighteenth-century Prussia, only a few benefited from a one-year stay in England to learn English, or from a one-year stay in France to learn French. Schopenhauer benefited from both, and those certainly helped his intellectual development. When a person benefits from excellent education and family support, I find it rather cynical to say that genius can arise in any circumstances. At an early age, Mozart received intense music lessons from his father. I am talking about hundreds of hours in lessons and practice. Eventually, Mozart became a musical genius, but one cannot seriously say he would have flourished without lessons. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/lessons-from-schopenhauers-views-on-genius/