Precocious Minds?
Some of the greatest minds in the human history did not exhibit any signs of normal development when they were young. Obviously these differences were prelude to later distinctions. But, for their parents and teachers, these differences must have been something to feel rather concerned about. For instance:
- Albert Einstein took many years before he could master language. Even in his school, his teachers reported him to be "mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in his foolish dreams."
- At the age of 6 years, Edison set fire to the barn to find out "what it would do".
- At the age of seven years, JRR Tolkein had a rather disconcerting hobby - inventing new languages. While these languages made sense to him, for others they were nothing more than gibberish. The hobby had to be suppressed by his mother, when she became concerned with this autistic preoccupation.
- Gregor Mendel was a monk who discovered the law of genetics. His chosen vocation was to be a teacher. Unfortunately, he had to abandon when his examiner judged that he "lacks insight and the requisite clarity of knowledge."
*****
| 