‘Civilization’: the Role of the ‘Genius Grants’

The money and prestige that comes with a MacArthur Fellowship has made a big difference to many recipients, but the awards do not necessarily lead to many path-breaking achievements, says Civilization magazine (October-November) in a cover article.

The no-strings-attached awards, often called “genius grants,” have been given for 17 years by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The magazine speculates that while the prizes were originally designed to “find the cure for cancer” or to “financially liberate the next Michelangelo,” that has not happened. “Perhaps it’s because the foundation has a bad eye for spotting Michelangelos,” the magazine says. “Perhaps it’s because Michelangelos don’t come along that often. Perhaps it’s because there are limits to what money, even in the hands of creative people, can do.”

The status the prizes have gained seems to have become an obstacle to some recipients, the magazine says. “Sudden acclaim can have harrowing psychological consequences, particularly for those who have long ago resigned themselves to feeling marginal or unappreciated in their professions,” the magazine notes. “The creators of the fellowship program, mindful of artists’ reputation for fragile egos, took care to insure that the award’s benefits package included comprehensive psychiatric coverage for the duration of each grant.”

While that may have helped some recipients, even those with less-fragile egos say they are bothered by the genius label that is attached to their names after they win the prize. “It’s embarrassing to be introduced like that,” Wes Jackson, a Kansas geneticist who won a fellowship in 1992, told the magazine. “I certainly don’t count myself as one.”