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It is important to emphasise that "genius" is a significant word that should not be used as loosely as it often is today. It originally derives from Latin and Roman traditions. In those times, when someone was exceptional at something, they were said to have a "great genius" accompanying them. The original attribution of extraordinary abilities to a deity was progressively transformed, modified, and some would say devolved, from "he has a great genius" to the present-day "he is a genius."To retrieve the baby from the bathwater and retain the original sentiment of the word, "genius" should be reserved for describing truly exceptional and rare achievements. Anything less takes away from the impact of its meaning.
Terrence Howard, who until recently had been largely known for his acting abilities, has come out as a closet mathematician, chemist, engineer, physicist, astrologist, biologist, etc. He is a polarising case study; on the one hand, most, if not all, experts in the sciences—math and physics, for example—consider him highly misinformed with very little to offer to either physics or math at present. On the other hand, some casual consumers of media and science—who have been taken in by his charisma, delivery, and seemingly impressive depth of knowledge across various fields—consider him a genius. They believe he is being actively ignored and conspired against by those in high positions for fear that he might prove the epistemic foundations of their fields wrong. There are some people in the middle who feel they are not informed enough to know whether he is misinformed or a genius.
If experts are to be trusted—if their word means anything—then Terrence Howard is misinformed. If that is the case, does it disqualify him from being a genius? Could he just be a misinformed genius? This would be the case if Terrence did not fail to understand the basic foundations upon which the disciplines he is criticizing are built. He would understand that his criticism of 1 + 1 = 2 is a semantic and linguistic criticism, not a mathematical one. To criticize the basics, one has to first understand them. Terrence has demonstrated a profound failure to do so. As such, regarding this matter, labelling him a genius would be inaccurate. The burden of proof lies with those who disagree to prove us otherwise.
It is important to point out that this does not imply that he is not smart. It is evident that his brain is highly capable and able to manipulate difficult concepts from various and disparate fields of inquiry, making him a polymath of some sort.
He is not a genius in the sciences, but he is a genius in something else. Terrence Howard is a genius of curiosity and interest. Geniuses are not limited to academic studies. As we have already acknowledged in the opening, exceptional ability or achievement is the criterion.
While being a successful actor in Hollywood without formal training, Terrence Howard dedicated his private time not only to reading up on fields totally unrelated to his own but also to teaching himself how these fields work and how they are related to one another. His pronunciation of some words indicates that he has only encountered them in books.
One would not be far off in assuming that exceptionally few people take a personal interest in reading and learning calculus of their own accord. Still, even fewer go on to develop technologies based on what they have learned or spend decades working on a personal theorem, whether wrong or right, that they have developed. Most people require financial compensation for such arduous exploration.
Beneath Terrence's misinformation, he demonstrates sheer passion, deep curiosity, and a great interest in these fields. It is as if the unanswered questions exert a weight from which he feels compelled to liberate himself by seeking answers. He seems immersed in this pursuit; his mental real estate appears largely occupied by it. This is reflected in his impressive recall of complicated numbers like the square root of 2, his recollection of the sequence of elements in the periodic table, his familiarity with difficult and esoteric concepts like spatial dimensions, and his generation of shapes and geometrical objects.
Immersing oneself so deeply in something when the incentives come primarily from a place of sheer curiosity and interest is beyond the strength of many of us. Terrence Howard possesses unfettered interest and curiosity, free from contamination by self-doubt, lethargy, and lack of resolve. Not everyone has the capacity for obsession with ideas; not everyone can be obsessed. This level of curiosity and interest from someone who is already successful in another field is exceptional and impressive.
We can take a leaf from Terrence's book and honor, respect, and maybe even deify our own personal interests that the world might judge us for. Be a genius of interest, of curiosity, and of appreciation for your own hobby. Maybe you could change your own world, like Terrence did. His world, wrong or not, is much richer and full of meaning for having pursued his dream and for having challenged and learned. Terrence Howard is a genius, just not the genius you expected.
←1. Suffering from aggression and empathy
←4. Science sucks and why that is a good thing
←5. Lying from a self-centred point of view
←6. Why strive to be a better thinker
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