Superior/inferior

[Aidon]

—All value judgments are comparisons, made by the judging mind.
They are comparisons between other and self (observed by observer), or between one other with a second or more others (average), by the observer, and so in relation to him.

—All comparisons are of an attribute, physical/mental, as it manifests (appears is made apparent).

—It is easy to evaluate and compare traits such as height, weight, strength, speed etc. Here superior/inferior is obvious, at any given time, and quality is determined by the projected potential for acquiring, nurturing this particular trait.
It becomes more difficult when dealing with traits, such as brain activity, which is not accessible directly, via the senses, but accessible, via the senses, through its outcome - indirectly.
We cannot perceive the neurological processes involved to construct a thought, but we can judge the outcome, through art, language, the expression of this thought…its activity through a code.

Though the previous traits can be perceived through the mediums of light, air vibrations, electromagnetic effects, the activity of thinking can only be perceived through the medium of symbolism, code: language, math.

—The basic method of evaluating quality is a temporal one.
It is how resistant to temporal decay a phenomenon is which determines its overall quality.
For example, genetic quality is determined by its ability to survive and to overcome mortality, without any aid from an intervening other.
In the area of intelligence it may not be readily perceptible but its products can be evaluated by how long lasting they are, or how long their constructs hold true and are applicable…again without the aid of an intervening other.
This is also a definition of genius.
Genius being a mind that can access, find patterns and evaluate time periods beyond the immediate or the short-term, and then construct mental models that hold true for longer, than the average, period of time.
How timeless the ideas and the insights are.

—Of course in our modern time physical and mental traits can be artificially acquired, or purchased, buying the appearance without possessing the substance that produce them.
so, genetic unfitness can purchase the genetic markers to appears as fit; and an average mind can purchase the insights of genius and repeat them as if they were its own constructs.
This has made evaluating superior/inferior more difficult, but not impossible.
The purchased, imitated, artificially acquired, traits are not worn with the same naturalness as they would have if they were a natural product of a past. They reveal themselves in practice, in movement in the absence of grace, and in the inability of the one using them to hide his own inferiority to support them or to justify them.
You cannot perchance creativity, imagination, humor, or the attitude and character produced I the one who is innately so rather than one who pretends to be so, or who simply wears the symbols or repeats the words.
Once more it is through juxtaposition, comparison, (inter)activity, where the reality of superior/inferior becomes clear.

[Aidon]

Some preliminary positions.

Satyr’s MANifesto wrote:
Genius is a variant of intelligence.
Both concepts deal with brain capacities, and have to do with temporality.

Mental processes involved in intelligence, which are pronounced in genius:
1- Sensual Acuity – The ability to perceive details, or slight patterns of (inter)activity in the flux of existence
2- Abstraction – The ability to integrate sensual data into cohesive (internally harmonious, non-self-contradicting) mental models. The greater the ability the more intricate and sophisticated and symmetrical the abstractions being constructed
3- Imagination –The ability to project these abstractions in time. The perception and integration of patterns of repetitive consistency, by sampling the past, could then be reduced into simpler models, and then projected as preparatory, expected, prognostic, tools, accentuating the organisms efficiency by offering it the possibility of focusing its aggregate energies more precisely
4- Concentration – The focus of these aggregate energies, using the Will, upon the object/objective (projected abstraction) which has been projected

All of this fails, of course, if the mind is corrupted by emotional concerns (fear, sadness, anger, hope etc.), if the mind is of an inferior quality making it unable to construct cohesive mental models or managing only a lower grade of them, and when the focus is absent due to a lack of self-control (self-discipline).

One cannot expect the unsophisticated mind to appreciate the sophisticated one.
Appreciation is always of what is within one’s ability to perceive and to comprehend.

For the average mind the genius, as you said, would be like a magician, a conjurer…in the past he would be a shaman, some kind of mystical, figure with extraordinary, supernatural, abilities.
Therefore, memetic conflict, as the one going on now, is played out on a superficial, symbolic level.
It is over seducing, mesmerizing, impregnating the inferior mind, so as to make him a tool, a weapon.
In this case the nihilistic meme has an advantage, as it offers soothing, relieving, flattering hopeful, messages, and it masks its motives and its life-hating positions in positivity.
This is the sophistication of methodology; the reversal of reality to offer what the average mind needs so as to deal with existence.
This also leads to a self-contradiction, also called the Jewish Paradox.
Selling, passive, humility, as a means of projecting arrogant power.

The “problem”, as you call it, lies in motive.
Would a noble mind, an ascetic, in the Hellenic sense, spirit, care to indulge in hypocrisy and pretense, so as to attain what it places little value on?
Would it stoop to that level, to preserve what is being lost?

That’s the conundrum.

[Orbie]

Mathis de Grunwald had this problem of elevating form over Durer. just an observation. The question of a superior attitude has always been a problem respecting the retention of prior forms over newly evolving ones. And does it come as a big surprise, that this dissention surfaced visually at the break in of the Renaissance. Because, concepts usually follow initial impressions. Concept art on the other hand, came about very veerily because they have been surprised of their effectiveness at converting, and changing attitudes, their embedded guilt had given them some idea of their responsibility toward a wider audience.