"A Genius is a person of extraordinary mental powers whose original works or insights [plural] change society in some significant way for good or for ill across cultures and across time."
Professor Craig White
Henry L & Lucy G Moses Prof Emeritus of Music
Yale University
As part of doing the course 'The Nature of Genius' offered by Yale University on Coursera.org, this was a question I had to think about and respond to and my answer is shared below -
Can you think of a person, not mentioned in the lectures who meets all of Craig's criteria? If so, name them here and provide evidence of their genius as it relates to originality, significance, and lasting societal impact.
Nelson Mandela
Originality - He stood out specially timelessly and as someone very relatable to above everything all people.
Significance - He brought an end to apartheid. Made way for South Africa to become a democracy and have equal rights for all the people. Taking away significantly the discrimination based on race allowed the country to try to become a rainbow nation.
Societal impact - Mandela is an inspiration to people through not just being the builder of South Africa after ending apartheid but also bringing groups of people together through nonviolent means using forgiveness and compassion.
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