Nash is a counter to your assertion. Tesla as well. Einstein, too - he exhibited compulsive behaviors and may have had ocd. High levels of intelligence often accompany greater susceptibility to mental illnesses, resulting in lower quality of life and ability to care for themselves.
It's not a matter of romanticizing the crazy genius trope, but likely a consequence of genetics. Hundreds of genes are known to accompany higher intelligence, and many of them are correlated with mental illnesses as well.
It could very well be that mental illnesses can be the cause of varied changes in perspective and neural operation in ways that we view as increased intelligence.
Absent a rigorous theory of intelligence, it's like we're speculating about microbes when the best tools we have are magnifying glasses. I think within the next couple decades, we'll have the equivalent of SEM and germ theory of disease. We may be able to augment adult brains to operate at the levels of Einstein or Feynman without the accompanying neuroticism or illnesses.
It's not a matter of romanticizing the crazy genius trope, but likely a consequence of genetics. Hundreds of genes are known to accompany higher intelligence, and many of them are correlated with mental illnesses as well.
It could very well be that mental illnesses can be the cause of varied changes in perspective and neural operation in ways that we view as increased intelligence.
Absent a rigorous theory of intelligence, it's like we're speculating about microbes when the best tools we have are magnifying glasses. I think within the next couple decades, we'll have the equivalent of SEM and germ theory of disease. We may be able to augment adult brains to operate at the levels of Einstein or Feynman without the accompanying neuroticism or illnesses.