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Becoming the Wealthy Genius: High Value Economy and Market Oriented Economy

28 September 2025   16:01 Diperbarui: 29 September 2025   11:55 83
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Outline

1. Introduction
The myth of genius wealth.
Why this question matters for economics, sociology, and philosophy of science.
2. Theoretical Background
Review of six paradigms: classical economics, meritocracy, neoclassical productivism, Marxism, wealth mindset ideology, functionalist sociology.
The assumptions they hold.
3. Unmasking the Illusion
Core arguments against each paradigm.
Historical evidence and contradictions.
4. The Theory of Genius Wealth Illusion
Ontological and epistemological foundations.
Key concepts: curiosity capital, exploitation leverage, time lag paradox, intellectual waste, asymmetric reward.
Propositional framework (P1--P5).
5. Case Studies
Tesla vs Edison (science and technology).
Ramanujan vs Hardy (mathematics and academia).
Van Gogh vs art dealers (arts and cultural economy).
Contemporary parallel: AI researchers vs Big Tech.
6. Implications
For economic theory: why human capital models are insufficient.
For sociology: rethinking social reward systems.
For philosophy: redefining the role of genius in civilization.
7. Conclusion
Restating the paradox: civilizations live on the sacrifices of poor geniuses while wealth accumulates in the hands of opportunists.
Future directions: mathematical modeling, cliodynamic integration, and policy considerations.

I. Introduction

A. The Myth of Genius Wealth

For centuries, societies have cultivated a persistent myth: that the brightest minds, those who reshape knowledge and redefine human horizons, are destined to become wealthy. The logic appears deceptively simple---if genius creates value, then the market, in its invisible wisdom, will reward it with wealth. This belief is woven into multiple domains: in economics through the rhetoric of productivity, in sociology through the promise of functional rewards, and in culture through the meritocratic fairy tale that the "best and brightest" inevitably rise to the top.

Yet history tells a different story. Nikola Tesla died in debt, feeding pigeons in a small New York hotel room. Vincent van Gogh, whose canvases today sell for tens of millions, could barely afford paint while alive. Srinivasa Ramanujan, whose mathematical insights transformed number theory, struggled for recognition and basic sustenance. If the myth were true, these figures should have been among the wealthiest of their time. Instead, their lives ended in poverty, obscurity, or dependence on patrons.

This paradox is not incidental; it is structural. Genius and wealth, though often assumed to be aligned, belong to two fundamentally different domains. Genius thrives on curiosity, abstraction, and the pursuit of truth beyond immediate utility. Wealth, by contrast, is a function of market logic, utility, and commodification. The assumption that the one will automatically yield the other is not only false---it is dangerous. It blinds societies to the waste of intellectual brilliance, dismisses the sacrifices of innovators, and sanctifies opportunists who capitalize on ideas they did not create.

The myth of genius wealth persists, however, because it is comforting. It reassures us that the world is fair, that effort and brilliance will be justly rewarded, and that the market acts as a neutral arbiter of value. In reality, the market is selective, biased toward what can be packaged and sold, indifferent to the raw force of discovery itself. The genius driven by curiosity often finds themselves outside the gates of commerce, while those skilled in exploitation, marketing, and capital leverage occupy the halls of wealth.

To unmask this myth is to confront the illusions upheld by six powerful paradigms---classical economics, meritocracy, neoclassical productivism, Marxism, the wealth mindset ideology, and functionalist sociology. Each of these paradigms tells a story in which genius should, in principle, be rewarded. This paper argues the opposite: that the very orientation of genius---the compulsion to explore rather than to exploit---systematically alienates it from wealth. The history of human progress is therefore not a tale of genius enriched, but of genius sacrificed, so that others may profit from its ashes.

B. Why This Question Matters for Economics, Sociology, and Philosophy of Science

The question of why geniuses often remain poor is not a trivial anecdote of historical misfortune; it strikes at the core of how we understand value, justice, and the architecture of modern civilization. To dismiss this paradox as mere coincidence is to ignore the deep fissures in the theoretical frameworks that dominate our disciplines.

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