Re: Evil but talented? Can you separate one from the other?

What a brilliant thread, TessA!

The more we know about medicine and return to the minds and deeds of the troubled geniuses we start to see patterns.

As for evil, I think it only exists from the calculated decisions of a rational mind. When Edison was killing puppies to prove electricity was dangerous, that seems pretty evil to me.

Is it the same mechanisms in the brain that heighten talent also cause debilitating diseases and conditions?

Sometimes.

Ask Beethoven, Michelangelo, Newton, Da Vinci who suffered from such diseases that look like now as autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and ADD. Ask Gobel, Einsteins good friend who starved to death as a result of depression or encephalopathy.

Is it worth the gift (Like "The Scream" and what you give to the world to suffer so?

And why don't we recognize it in delusional leaders?

Re: Evil but talented? Can you separate one from the other?

He had Tinitus and depression that was driving him mad poor man .

Re: Evil but talented? Can you separate one from the other?

Of course you can separate someone's deeds from their talent. Caravaggio was a murderer - would any art gallery shred one of his paintings? Da Vinci was allegedly homosexual - would anyone have painted over the Sistine chapel ceiling because it was then considered illegal or vile?

I've never understood people's revulsion at, say, admiring Rolf Harris as a very talented painter or someone's music. Ridiculous IMO.

Re: Evil but talented? Can you separate one from the other?

I agree Eccles (actually I don't think Rolfs paintings were that good ) but he was a talented man in many ways and I still love his song two little boys . He did good things too which are all forgotten now .
No one is perfect and so often these wonderful artists and talents were flawed people -as we all are .
To take but three Lucien Freud ,Picasso Gauguin -none sound like the nicest of people but it doesn't detract from their greatest .

Re: Evil but talented? Can you separate one from the other?

It would certainly come in handy if we need to have our political leaders sectioned!

Re: Evil but talented? Can you separate one from the other?

Only someone with something not quite right would want to be a political leader!

Re: Evil but talented? Can you separate one from the other?

When I went to the Van Gogh gallery in Amsterdam I was astounded by how much his art demonstrated the mood he was in at the time he painted it. The ones that were painted in his "dark times" actually made me feel afraid or tearful..... and I am no art critic!

I believe that we all have talents so I cannot see a reason why we shouldn't enjoy a persons talent... even if they are a criminal or mentally unbalanced.

Re: Evil but talented? Can you separate one from the other?

Poor Vincent his paintings got more and more desperate leading up to when he shot himself .
He quite literally painted the black cloud that hung over him .

Re: Evil but talented? Can you separate one from the other?

I'm not really talking about people with mental illnesses, rather about wicked deeds. Those with mental conditions can't help being ill but those who are sane can help doing wicked things.

Re: Evil but talented? Can you separate one from the other?