There are obviously exceptions, this is not a blanket statement, but from what I’ve seen, it seems that creative brilliance and human kindness rarely seem to occupy the same space. Picasso was horrible to women, Steve Jobs was an asshole, same with Pollock or Hemingway. What’s the deal?
© 2026 – SoulSequel
4 responses to “Why do genius and decency rarely go hand in hand?”
an excellent question. I do see a link between genius and madness. not sure about genius and the moral compass. I do not have research to support my thesis, but if I had to guess, I would say,,,mommy issues.
all the men I have known who had significant issues with women all had mommy issues. I have dated a few musicians—-mommy issues.
I think perhaps the greatest pain and suffering we can have in our lives can stem from the mother. the first sound we ever heard was our mothers heartbeat. the mother should be significant and special, and when she’s not up to the task, that creates the shadows. these shadows are a necessary component of the environment that allow the tortured artist to emerge. without it, the individual develops “normally”.
are you emotionally healthy? I have noticed that you are creative in your own right. so watch what happens when and if you get healthy? do you create less?
I once knew a writer who thought beautifully, but he would suffer from writers block. his muse? ” make me fall in love with you or make me feel depressed”.
I think genius comes with a higher degree of specified awareness. Sometimes that awareness is so focused that there is literally no time to give thought to the bigger picture.
It seems to me, and this is also not a blanket statement, that human kindness is not inherent in our behaviours. At least not in the First World. Me first has obviously taken hold as status quo to the point a whole generation has been labeled with this as their definitive characteristic.
The genius is special and it would be hard not to know it when they look in the mirror. That knowledge, when associated with the natural predilection of humans to judge, can easily combine to turn someone into a prick.
Everybody is indecent at certain horrible embarrassing moments here & there in their lives. Those people you named have their entire lives pored over, generally by people that have to sell what they found to put food in their offspring. So the juicy parts become expanded to cover holes in the story in our minds and in the legend.
Imagine how you yourself would be remembered or judged if your worst was on a loop that followed you everywhere.
I would speculate that what we call “genius” has to do with a gifted awareness when it comes to stark realities: a focused objectivity vs. A flighty subjectivity.
As a race we would seem to have an [over?] abundance of the latter. And maybe that is why geniuses are both treasured and scorned?