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Bulverism will get you nowhere. I'm not "uncomfortable" with the idea, I just think it isn't a good one. Musk isn't even obviously focused on wealth; he's driven, but the wealth is a means to various ends (such as space exploitation). Certainly drive to do something is very important. But greed as a major determinant? Greed is too common to explain anything unusual. Chance is pretty bad when it comes to Elon specifically (or to some others, like Steve Jobs); he's had too many major successes.
I would love to have a serious conversation on this instead of doing Bulverism. It's just that you said
which is Motte speak for I'm an idiot.
My line of reasoning is actually g theory mixed with a subjective assessment of his public writing and speeches. Both of these I place between the 90th and 98th percentiles. He's bright but objectively ain't no genius. Saying he's money oriented (neutral term for greedy) is pulled from his biography and life pattern where he does little other than chase money. This is not meant chiefly as an insult but as an explanatory factor. In particular he would not understand what I am talking about right now because he is so money focused he doesn't even understand psychometric theory, which is a huge L for someone with billions of dollars. I think we ought to have philosopher-kings and not people who chase money in the lowest way imaginable with IQs of 125-130 who get lucky and then their philanthropy is driven by the lowest pulp fiction Sci Fi imaginable. Space exploitation lol. If he were a genius he'd start a eugenics program.
The way I see it, Nietzsche is a great man and Musk is not. If the former never had access to near infinite amounts of human prompting tokens, I think it's time to reflect on what that says about society and not what that says about Nietzsche. why is it just assumed that the proper way there is through JavaScript? Or in his day, oil and railroads (snooze). That sucks. And it's narcissism/communism because basically it panders to the lowest classes, who can't read Nietzsche but who can use oil and JavaScript.
The way I see it, it should be impossible to miss a great man any more than you can miss a great mountain in your way. If his wisdom is too complicated, it will be translated and simplified for the masses. At any rate it will be implemented, because no great man will be content with simply writing shit down and counting on oughts to eventually bring it to fruition. It will not remain simply a book.
Ironically communists love reading things. There's no one who loves lording "being able to read and understand theory" over the rabble more than a self-proclaimed communist. Meanwhile other ideologies, even the libertarians, actually implement theory and see tangible results.
Why? Shouldn't we have an internal concept of great which the masses might or might not miss? If your fundamental property of great man is recognized by the masses, how is he great? Isn't he just the masses?
But how perverted does it become?
I can agree that no great men will be content with simply writing shit down, but what if the great man fails? Is there not chance in the world? Are great men always lucky?
Yes reading can be overrated. I much prefer writing and thinking. I believe philosophy should be embodied.
My fundamental property of a great man is that he is never someone unknown by the masses, not necessarily someone universally venerated. He impacts the masses whether they like it or not. He does not pass by without much consequence by definition.
Any distorted vision is greater than an unexpressed one.
A prince who fails the coup does not become king.
Em-bodied, not enworded.
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