P1. (Curiosity Capital Non-convertibility)
Curiosity-driven intellectual production (curiosity capital) is structurally non-convertible into economic capital within contemporaneous market systems.
Implication: Genius generates anticipatory value that lacks immediate monetization channels, leading to systematic under-compensation during the creator's lifetime.
P2. (Exploitation-Leverage Asymmetry)
Economic reward flows not to originators of ideas but to agents or institutions possessing exploitation leverage (patents, networks, capital, publicity).
Implication: Wealth correlates more strongly with institutional positioning than with intellectual originality.
P3. (Time Lag Paradox)
The more anticipatory and disruptive a genius's contribution, the greater the temporal lag between creation and recognition.
Implication: Genius is often punished in the short term and valorized only posthumously, rendering wealth acquisition structurally improbable.
P4. (Intellectual Waste Principle)
Systemic blindness produces large-scale intellectual waste, where unrecognized genius output is ignored, lost, or destroyed, often requiring rediscovery by later generations.
Implication: Societal knowledge systems are not cumulative by necessity but punctuated by structural amnesia.
P5. (Asymmetric Reward Law)
Even when genius contributions are eventually recognized, the material and symbolic rewards are disproportionately captured by non-originators (institutions, opportunists, markets).
Implication: Wealth distribution is inversely correlated with epistemic originality; the more disruptive the contribution, the less likely the originator captures proportional reward.
Synthesis
Together, these propositions dismantle the illusion that genius and wealth are naturally linked. Instead, they outline a systematic asymmetry: genius generates anticipatory futures, but wealth accrues to present-oriented exploitative structures. The Genius Wealth Illusion is not accidental; it is a predictable outcome of systemic architectures designed to preserve stability by deferring, domesticating, or appropriating disruption.
D. Structure of Genius--Wealth Asymmetry
The asymmetry between genius and wealth is not random. It follows a recognizable structure---a systemic machine that processes intellectual breakthroughs and systematically diverts their value away from their originators. This structure can be mapped in five sequential stages, each corresponding to the key concepts and propositions we have outlined.
1. Generation: Curiosity Capital as Input
Genius begins with curiosity capital: exploratory, anticipatory energy directed at solving problems or unveiling patterns not yet recognized by society. This capital is non-monetary, ontologically distinct from economic capital (P1). It is the raw generative input, irreducible to utility metrics.
2. Filtering: Exploitation Leverage as Gatekeeper
For curiosity capital to become economically viable, it must pass through institutional filters controlled by actors with exploitation leverage (P2). Patents, investors, publishers, galleries, universities, or corporations decide which insights are legitimated, commodified, or ignored. The filter is not neutral; it privileges stability, profitability, and conformity over disruption.
3. Temporal Distortion: The Time Lag Paradox
Even when insights pass the filter, they are often temporally displaced (P3). The greater the anticipatory scope, the longer the lag between creation and recognition. This lag creates a paradox: genius is punished for being too early, while opportunists who arrive later with institutional support reap the benefits.
4. Loss: Intellectual Waste Accumulation
Many contributions never survive this filtering and lag process. They decay into intellectual waste (P4): unbuilt machines, unpublished works, misunderstood equations. This waste is not incidental but systemic, reflecting the blindness of institutions to what lies beyond their temporal or cultural horizon.
5. Redistribution: Asymmetric Reward Capture
Finally, when recognition does arrive, the rewards are rarely captured by the genius. Instead, they are redistributed asymmetrically (P5) to institutions, intermediaries, and cultural industries. The originator is canonized in memory but excluded from wealth in life.
Schematic View
We can visualize the structure as a funnel-shaped asymmetry:
