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Genius. The term connotes an almost unworldly vitality: the energy to create, to understand universal secrets, even to ruin. As renowned intellectual historian Darrin McMahon explains in Divine Fury, the idea of genius can be tracked back to antiquity, when men of great understanding were thought to be advised by demons. The modern idea of genius emerged in anxiety with a growing belief in individuals equality; contesting the idea that all are manufactured equal, geniuses served to dramatize the exception of remarkable individuals not governed by standard laws. Today, the idea of genius is becoming cheapened - rock and roll stars and basketball coaches earn the term with seemingly the same simplicity as astrophysicists and philosophers - yet our enduring fascination with it displays the dreams, needs, and concerns of ordinary human beings. The first extensive history of the mysterious yet foundational principle, Divine Fury employs the fortunes of genius from Socrates to Napoleon to Einstein and beyond, inspecting its democratization, disappearance, and potential rebirth.
