Genius
The inborn talent through which “nature gives the rule to art” — for Kant the origin of all fine art.
Fine art cannot be produced by recipe — and yet it is no accident. Kant's solution: in the genius, nature itself works as an unconsciously creative power; it brings forth works without being able to state the rule it follows — and thereby sets patterns for others to follow.
The genius is original yet exemplary at once: it does not imitate but itself becomes a model. Science, for Kant, is not the genius's domain — the researcher proceeds methodically step by step and can teach the path taken; the genius cannot.
Where it appears
- Aesthetics — Genius and art
- Enlightenment — Public or private?
- Critique of Judgment — Structure & core ideas
Source: Wikipedia: Genius