Del's Comments
I do agree with Polx that Savants are not Geniuses, but because of the incredible functioning rate of the brain both terms are more like cousins instead of siblings.
A true genius can be a person that can create something such as:
Mozart- composed his own music as early as age 4 (Genius because he created music, instead of only playing back music that already existed)
Emily Dickison- wrote beautiful poetry about nature, even though friends and family admitted that Emily was afraid to leave her home (Genius because she interpreted nature from her window to create beautiful poetry that is now part of the English Curriculum in many high schools)
Geniuses have the ability to absorb, process, and interpret information in a new way or create new information.
A true savant can have the ability to retain information and play it back at a higher rate than normal such as:
Kim Peek and Daniel Tammet
Lighting calculations is believed to be a savant ability too. Although, many researchers agree that autistic disabilities do not have to be present in order for someone to be a savant.
This would be termed Pseudo Savants which is a person who demonstrates savant abilities without the presence of autism or brain trauma. Such savants are usually skilled in mathematical calculating
The way I understand it from acquiring my psychology degree is that the brain can sometimes sacrifice certain functions in order to keep itself as stable as possible. The brain can also create bypasses of damaged areas or increase the strength of certain areas to decrease the spread of damage or unstableness from other areas. I believe this is why many autistic savants can be social withdrawn because it is probably the only function the brain can sacrifice without any further damage.
I also believe that the human brain is the one true frontier that we have yet to map completely. Even though our brains are contained within our skull, it is as deep and mysterious as space. I also believe that many humans have some kind of savant ability locked within our minds.
Come to think of it Charle Darwin's theory of natural selection applies. In the end, it is nature herself that decides who, when, and why.
Thus savants, autistic savants, and geniuses are not the same, but they are connected.
A true genius can be a person that can create something such as:
Mozart- composed his own music as early as age 4 (Genius because he created music, instead of only playing back music that already existed)
Emily Dickison- wrote beautiful poetry about nature, even though friends and family admitted that Emily was afraid to leave her home (Genius because she interpreted nature from her window to create beautiful poetry that is now part of the English Curriculum in many high schools)
Geniuses have the ability to absorb, process, and interpret information in a new way or create new information.
A true savant can have the ability to retain information and play it back at a higher rate than normal such as:
Kim Peek and Daniel Tammet
Lighting calculations is believed to be a savant ability too. Although, many researchers agree that autistic disabilities do not have to be present in order for someone to be a savant.
This would be termed Pseudo Savants which is a person who demonstrates savant abilities without the presence of autism or brain trauma. Such savants are usually skilled in mathematical calculating
The way I understand it from acquiring my psychology degree is that the brain can sometimes sacrifice certain functions in order to keep itself as stable as possible. The brain can also create bypasses of damaged areas or increase the strength of certain areas to decrease the spread of damage or unstableness from other areas. I believe this is why many autistic savants can be social withdrawn because it is probably the only function the brain can sacrifice without any further damage.
I also believe that the human brain is the one true frontier that we have yet to map completely. Even though our brains are contained within our skull, it is as deep and mysterious as space. I also believe that many humans have some kind of savant ability locked within our minds.
Come to think of it Charle Darwin's theory of natural selection applies. In the end, it is nature herself that decides who, when, and why.
Thus savants, autistic savants, and geniuses are not the same, but they are connected.
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The Last Oracle by James Rollins
I love this book.