Genius Unmasked

236 Pages·2013·1.66 MB·English

by  Roberta Ness

Genius Unmasked
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Genius Unmasked
ROBERTA B. NESS
1
3

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship,
and education by publishing worldwide.
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Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other
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Published in the United States of America by
Oxford University Press
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© Roberta B. Ness 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior
permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law,
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You must not circulate this work in any other form
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ness, Roberta B.
Genius unmasked / Roberta B. Ness.
pages cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978–0–19–997659–1
1. Genius—Case studies. 2. Creative ability in science—Case studies.
3. Creative ability. I. Title.
BF412.N46 2013
153.9ʹ8—dc23 2013003365
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To David, Joel, and Sara to whom I am forever indebted
for keeping me thinking
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CONTENTS
1 Hero Worship 1
2 Nature versus God: Charles Darwin 7
3 Darwin Annotated: Th e Use of Tools of Innovation 17
4 Th e Miracle Worker: Maria Montessori 30
5 Bending Time: Albert Einstein 40
6 Pick the Innovator 52
7 Is Psychology All in Your Head? Stanley Milgram 58
8 Inspirations from the Heart: Jerry Morris and Ancel Keys 74
9 It’s Electric: Th omas Edison 90
10 Two Luminous Lives: Marie Curie and Ernest Rutherford 107
11 Immunology and the Uncommon Man: Paul Ehrlich and Elie
Metchnikoff 125
12 Connectivity: Paul Baran and Other Web Creators 136
13 A Modest Proposal for Saving Mankind: Norman Borlaug and
the Green Revolutionaries 151
14 Medications Everywhere but Only One Pill: Russell Marker,
Arthur Hertig, and John Rock 167
15 A Way to Die: Students of Innovation 185
16 Steering the Craft 193
References 202
Index 217
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Genius Unmasked