People who habitually fire off letters to newspapers, or comment on websites, usually do so to vent their spleen: having written a few well-chosen words or paragraphs, they can then (hopefully) relax.

Books about geniuses tend to fall into predictable categories. There is hagiography, along the lines of “How Picasso revolutionised art”. There are takedowns (“Picasso was a monster”). And there are ...

Was Elon Musk ever a genius? Yes, he revolutionized the electric-car industry and space travel. Yes, he once seemed to represent America’s ability to innovate at the cutting edge of technology. But ...

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recently announced the names of 25 people who won an annual fellowship. The highly selective and prestigious award, which has also been described as a ...