Ingenuity:
the ability to solve difficult problems, often in original and creative ways
The pyramids demonstrate the ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians.
Impecunity is the mother of ingenuity.
From Latin ingeniosus, from ingenium (innate or natural quality, natural capacity, genius): cf. Frenchingénieux; see also engine
Adjective: ingenious (comparative more ingenious, superlative most ingenious)
- Displaying genius or brilliance; tending to invent.
This fellow is ingenious; he fixed a problem I didn't even know I had.
- Characterized by genius; cleverly done or contrived.
That is an ingenious model of the atom.
- Witty; original; shrewd; adroit; keen; sagacious.
He sent me an ingenious reply for an email.
The term ingenuity or applied ideas is used in the analysis of Thomas Homer-Dixon, building on that of Paul Romer, to refer to what is
usually called instructional capital. Ingenuity is often inherent in creative individuals, and thus is considered hard to separate from
individual capital. It is not clear if Dixon or Romer considered it impossible to do so, or if they were simply not familiar with the prior
analysis of "applied ideas", "intellectual capital", "talent", or "innovation"
where instructional and individual contributions have been carefully separated, by economic theorists.
The term innovative (a derivative of Innovation) refers to changes in thinking, in things,
in processes or in services. Invention that gets out in to the world is innovation. In many fields, something new must be substantially different to be
innovative, not an The goal of innovation is positive change, to make someone or something better.
Innovation is an important topic in the study of economics, business, technology, sociology, and engineering. Colloquially, the word
"innovation" is often used as synonymous with the output of the process. Since innovation is also considered a major driver of the economy,
the factors that lead to innovation are also considered to be critical to policy makers.
A genius is a person of great intelligence who shows an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in creative and
original work. Geniuses always show strong individuality and imagination, and are not only intelligent, but unique and innovative.
The term may be applied to someone who is considered gifted in many subjects or in one subject.
Although the term "genius" is sometimes used to denote the possession of a superior talent in any field, e.g. a particular sport or
statesmanship, it has traditionally been understood to denote an exceptional natural capacity of intellect and creative originality
in areas of art, literature, music, science and mathematics.
Genius may come in a variety of forms, such as mathematical genius, literary genius, or poetic genius, etc. Artistic genius may show
itself in early childhood as a prodigy or later in life; either way, geniuses eventually differentiate themselves from the others
through great originality. Intellectual geniuses often have crisp, clear-eyed visions of given situations, in which interpretation
is unnecessary, and they build or act on the basis of those facts, usually with tremendous energy. Accomplished geniuses in intellectual
fields start out in many cases as child prodigies, gifted with superior memory or understanding.
The multiple intelligences hypothesis put forth by Harvard University professor Howard Gardner in his 1983 book Frames of Mind states
there are at least seven types of intelligences, each with its own type of genius.
The most popular way of determining one's intelligence is with an Intelligence Quotient (better known as I.Q.) test. Two
among the most influential psychologists studying intelligence, Lewis M. Terman and Leta Hollingworth, suggested two different
numbers when considering the cut-off for genius in psychometric terms. Dr. Terman considered it to be an IQ of 140, while Dr.
Hollingworth put it at an IQ of 180. Moreover, both these numbers are ratio IQs, which in deviation values used presently
put the genius IQ cut-off at 136 (98.77th percentile) and 162 (99.994th percentile) respectively. There are also several examples
of people with IQ levels in the genius range who have a disability or very low level in one of the subcategories. In addition to
the fundamental criticism that intelligence measured in this way is an example of reification and ranking fallacies, the IQ
test has also been criticized as having a "cultural bias" in its interpretation despite claims that these tests are designed to
eliminate race/gender for example by predicting numerical sequences, etc. Accordingly, the definition of genius embraces those who
do not necessarily have an IQ test score of this stature, or who have not even taken such a test. A vast intelligence is needed,
but the mental state of possessing genius is based primarily upon an incredible understanding of complex issues and problems, and
a profound creativity and imagination.
In Ancient Rome, the genius was the guiding or "tutelary" spirit of a person, or even of an entire gens, the plural of which was 'genii'.
A related term is genius loci, the spirit of a specific locale. A specific spirit, or dæmon, may inhabit an image or icon, giving it supernatural powers.
A comparable term from Arabic lore is a djinn, often Anglicized as "genie". Note, however, that this term is considered a false friend,
not a cognate by most Anglo-American anthropologists. Recent work by Russian, Romanian, Italian and a few American linguists may return
the word to cognate status. For more information on these etymological roots, see Genius (mythology).
Source References and additional reading:
- Cox, Catharine, M. (1926). Early Mental Traits of Three Hundred Geniuses (Genetic Studies of Genius Series), Stanford University Press.
- "genius." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online." (2007).
- "Children Above 180 IQ: Standford-Binet Origin and Development, by Leta Stetter Hollingworth" (1975).
- genius. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved May 17, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genius
- "Statistical Distribution of Childhood IQ Scores, by John Scoville".
- American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
- Webopedia. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
- Wikipedia.org, the free encyclopedia
