a preface
Right, so our friend Alien Corpuscle Bath gave me the wonderful idea to start up a topic on this phenomenon which has long fascinated me, people born with uber-genius, almost preternatural abilities. The savants, aka, “idiot-savants,” aka the newer, more politically correct term, people afflicted with Savant Syndrome.
a brief ‘natural history’
From a nice site, Savant Academy, this bit of information:
“At their most spectacular level, savants possess abilities that surpass non-disabled prodigies and geniuses. Savants may demonstrate, for example, an ability to recite pages of text on a single hearing, to multiply six-digit numbers in their head, or to memorize and perform any song played for them just once.”
“Prodigious savants are extremely rare, with fewer than one hundred noted in more than a century of literature on the subject. (A prodigious savant is someone whose skill level would qualify him or her as a ‘prodigy,’ or exceptional talent, even in the absence of a cognitive disability.) Fewer than fifty or so such individuals are believed to be alive in the world today. About half of them are prodigious musical
savants.”
causation, specialized theories, and wait, reincarnation!?
Savant Syndrome as I said has long fascinated me. “HOW can this be,” I have often wondered upon witnessing these child prodigies seemingly born with a knowledge of the musical keyboard, for example. It has been suggested that some of these children had past lives in which they honed these musical abilities, and that what we are witnessing now are these traits being carried over into in their next life.
Of course, you immediately lose part of your audience by melding subjects like reincarnation with strict scientific standards of academia. But part of the great appeal of this site is that we have exceptionally bright minds of all beliefs! Such that I need feel no shame in bouncing these ideas around. :: i love my ILP ::
Right - so look I’m short on time: I would be much interested in hearing any thoughts or theories of causation to help fill out his part of the discussion.
Cheers - have a great day!
-John