Essential theories of Genius

Essential theories

IV. Essential theories (from Lat. Essentia – the essence of) reveal the essence and core universal dimensions of genius as well as essential and deep principles of its manifestation.

Worldgenetic Theories of Genius

World-centred approach reveals the essential criteria of genius coming from qualitatively specific laws and features of its manifestation in relatively independent phenomenological worlds in unique, autonomous spheres of reality.

1. Personological (from Lat. Persona – personality, person) theory of genius defines a genius as the top of evolution and the crown of creation, as an original, unique identity, as a self-sufficient personality having an extraordinary development, and a specific combination of integrated components as intelligence, traits, motivation and productivity.
2. Charismatic theory (from the Greek charisma – charity, gift, and grace) states that the essential feature of a genius is his magical gift of influence, spiritual charm, hypnotic power of domination, and the ability to inspire, fascinate and lead people.
3. Shape-forming and transformative theory say that the essence of genius lies in formative power and in the form-creative power of a genius, in his ability to pacify chaos, create new symbolic systems, artificial languages, art tools and techniques, and also to operate symbols, to shape raw material and transform the available content in a more perfect one.
3.1. The game theory of genius claims that the creative process of a genius is free from any everyday life bonds, a spontaneous and enjoyable game with shapes, symbols and meanings. It is based on a symbolic representation of reality, which opens up the possibility of a special, creative interaction with the world.
4. Activity theory considers the essence of genius from the point of view of a creative product produced by a genius. It focuses on the importance of this product, its amount, and its influence on its contemporaries and successors and on its contribution to the socio-cultural evolution of mankind. According to R. Albert, the author of the behavioural theory, a genius is a man who for a long period of time is doing a huge amount of work having a significant impact on other people for many years.
5. Cultural-creative theory directly links genius and creativity, which is a deep true nature of a genius, the substantial way of his existence and implementation. In its turn, creativity is the very essence of a genius, in which it reaches its highest and perfect level of manifestation.
5.1. The theory of a universal creative method asserts that the essence effective kernel of genius is a holistic, dynamic system of techniques, based on realizing universal pairs of opposite, but mutually complementary mechanisms of creativity, which, in their turn, reflect the deepest structures, laws and trends of existence and development of the world.

Universe Theories of Genius

The universe approach to genius assumes that it is based on universal generating and sense formatting primal essences which are metatheoretical and supercultural explications of the Absolute.

1. The Heroic Theory of Genius considers that a genius is a hero possessing spiritual greatness, a magic talent, boundless courage, fearlessness of mind, demonic power and absolute and unlimited free will.
1.1. Demonic (from Greek diamond – demon, demigod ) theory of genius considers genius to be a rebel and destroyer who overturns concepts, values and bases. The absolutization of ideas of total freedom, self-induced activity, struggle and force transform a genius hero into a genius rebel and great destroyer.
2. Metapotention theory (from Greek meta – through, from Lat. potential – force, possibility) sees the essence of genius in his aspiration, talent and ability to expand the horizons and to gain new substantial spaces, to construct new worlds and integrities, to create new concepts, paradigms and directions in art, to open new semantic dimensions and widen the borders of possibilities.
3. The Theory of Universality (from Lat. universalis – universal, global, referring to the universe) states that a genius has a unique blend of creative talents and a special psychic organization which reflects the invariant structure of the universe. At this, the essential feature of a genius is his universality which includes broad-mindedness, the versatility of talent, diversity of interests, extraordinary erudition and the ability to achieve outstanding results in various branches of human activity.
4. Congregative  theory (from Lat. congregatio – integration) of genius suggests that the essence of the nature of a genius is manifested in his willingness and ability to unite various layers and spheres of reality, in binding, converging and collecting the world, in a productive combination of different directions, forms and genres of art.
5. Univers -personalistic theory (from Lat. universum – a single  Universe, Latin unio – unity, versum – towards … or verso-twist, rotate, and from lat. persona – person, separate entity)  of genius maintains that a genius has a universal gift to capture, experience, transmit and embody in his work the spirit of the Universe and Eternity, to fill his works with the highest human values and ultimate meaning as well as the ability to reach the state of creative consciousness,  to acquire a vision of reality from the standpoint of the Absolute, to translate this vision into reality and transmit it to other people.
The theory of embodiment and personification of the Absolute and the co-creation with Universe evolution considers that a genius is the incarnation of the Absolute, a personal manifestation of super-consciousness and a Higher Mind that obeys the categorical imperative of creativity and generates new meanings.
5.1 Imperative – Substantial theory (from Lat. imperatum – order, command, prescription; from Lat. substantial-essential, which has an independent existence, ) of genius says that a genius is determined by universe-and-personality determinants which represent a stable resonant interaction of awakening creative structures with isomorphic creative plans of the Universe, fusion and solidification of the energy of a creative instinct and internalized socio-cultural creative imperative. In this case, deploying internal and universal creative structures which is a realization of a creative impulse, brings a deep inner satisfaction and a genuine supreme joy.
5.2. The Transpersonal theory (from Lat. trans – through, over and persona – person) states that the condition of genius is the experience of identity with the “Cosmic Mind” and “World Soul”, the ability to achieve and maintain the state of superpersonal, transpersonal consciousness, creative illumination and ecstasy, Samadhi, Satori or their psychological correlate – the highest creative inspiration.
Genius is considered as the ability to enter into a new supreme and creative state of consciousness, to obtain hypersensitivity to the effects of information and semantic fields, to awaken in himself dormant creative abilities and to use internal and external opportunities in a highly efficient way.
 5.3. The Visionary theory (from Lat. visio –vision, seeing, idea) claims that the basis of genius is the aptitude for the universe, holistic, planetary and creative vision of the world, ability to perceive reality in all its newness, freshness, topicality and inexhaustibility, and also the ability to mental manipulation with its forms, entities and time, and art to generate from within, by means of the gift of inner vision and foresight, a self-sufficient, self-sustaining, unconditional novelty, independent of the old.
5.3.1. Universe Vision theory asserts that genius is understood as the realization of a universe spectral, multi-layered, integrated,  all-inclusive vision based on a combination of different types of visions, generated by universal primal essences.
It is a holistic spectrum of qualitatively distinctive unmixed visions, a strong laminar flow including absolute, spiritual and transformative, eidetic, liberating, potential, integral and immediate, as well as own, original, individual, unique in the history of the universe, vision of the reality. At that the multi-dimensional, total, all-including vision of the world is understood as simultaneous activation of all types of vision, as well as flexible changing between them, the implementation of each level in turn, creation of patterns of perception lights, depending on the intent, purpose or characteristics of the situation.
5.3.2. Creative Vision Theory claims that the fundamental basis of genius, and its source and body is a Creative Vision, which can be easily and naturally acquired by everyone through taking a Creative position, correlated with the Absolute, over Achieving a creative mental state and implementation of a universal Creative method. Thus a genius is considered a person with a universal creative vision which manifests itself not only as an impartial witness hovering over the world and not even as eidetic, heartfelt, spiritual contemplation but also as a spontaneous, powerful and shattering into many different levels thin and flexible efforts of mental activities, as directed manipulation and free play with the images and models of reality. A creative vision of a genius is a creative synthesis of a higher mental state and a creative method which is complete, isomorphic to a universe generative matrix, a system of creative techniques.

The formation and creativity of a genius are determined not by one, but rather by a whole system of factors that are integrated by the central historical-cultural and spiritual-meaning determinant – the active creative “I”, the centre of awareness, experience and will, the subject of independent decisions and choices at all stages of existence and development.