Pure Genius

A global consulting firm asked 4,000 Britons to nominate up to 10 people who could be considered as living geniuses. Each nominee was then scored according to criteria such as paradigm shifting, popular acclaim, intellectual power, achievement and cultural importance.

Albert Hofmann made the top of the list. He is best known for synthesizing LSD-25 in 1938 and later psilocybin and psilocin along with their analogs, 4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-diethyltryptamine and 4-hydroxy-N,N-diethyltryptamine. Hofman shares the number one spot with Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web.

Of course, there are many who may be considered a genius in many fields. Yet, the image of the 101 year old Albert Hofmann leading the way, across a century, above and beyond other achievments in politics, business, science and art, is itself a wonderful and profound paradigm shift.

Photo of Albert Hofman used via Creative Commons license.