The Common Character Trait of Geniuses | James Gleick | Big Think

What are the common character traits of geniuses? Watch the newest video from Big Think: Join Big Think Edge for exclusive videos: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OVERVIEW: James Gleick, who wrote a biography of Isaac Newton, describes the reclusive scientist as “antisocial, unpleasant and bitter.“ Newton fought with his friends “as much as with his enemies,“ Gleick says. In contrast, Richard Feynman, the subject of another Gleick biography, was “gregarious, funny, a great dancer.“ The superficial differences between the men go on and on. “Isaac Newton, I believe, never had sex,“ Gleick says. “Richard Feynman, I believe, had plenty.“ So what could these two men possibly have in common? According to Gleick, when it came to making the great discoveries of science, both men were alone in their heads. This also applies to great geniuses like Charles Babbage, Alan Turing and Ada Byron. “They all had the ability