Brian Eno speaks eloquently of genius (the creative intelligence of the individual) and places genius in context with the idea of the Scenius - the creative intelligence of the community. Scenius is defined as the intelligence and the intuition of a whole cultural scene. It is the communal form of the concept of the genius.
Wired cites these examples "The history of art and science is crammed with episodes of scenius. In modern literature there was the Algonquin Round Table, the Bloomsbury Group, the Inklings in Oxford, UK. In art there was Paris in the 20s, the lofts in Soho, NYC, and Burning Man recently. In science there was the Lunar Society in England, Building 20 at MIT, or the ever-spreading Silicon Valley." You can read the full article here.
What I like about this idea is it a) suggests that genius is dependent in some ways on the environment it grows in and b) gives the community a role in helping develop genius.
So how do you contribute to the scenius around you? I'd love to hear your thoughts...
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