Progressives' Disdain of Genius Is a Problem for the West
The levelling spirit is far more powerful today than it was back then. Any history student who is foolish enough to argue, as Carlyle did, that 'the history of the world is but the biography of great men' would be guaranteed a stern lecture on the importance of 'social forces' and 'economic factors.' This is particularly pronounced when it comes to the notion of geniuses.
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