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Dean Keith Simonton. Greatness: Who Makes History and Why. New York: Guilford Press, 1994, 502 pages, $19.95 softcover.
Reviewed by Malcolm James Ree, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, St. Mary's University of Texas, San Antonio, TX.
D.K Simonton, professor of psychology at the University of California at Davis, first came to my attention because of an article he authored on the role of general cognitive ability and posthumous reputation. Greatness: Who Makes History and Why is his latest effort to synthesize a psychology of history. The book draws on several approaches to explain why some individuals achieve greatness. This is a topic of utmost importance to those of us concerned with the management of human resources, the progress of our species, and finding a great mechanic for that Volvo! There are psychological sections, physiological sections, social sections, and some that I can't quite classify, but all converge on the evidence of greatness.
This is a book that might be used as a text or as a reference but here's the great part: It can be read for enjoyment! This is not damning with faint praise, but rather an endorsement of a rare accomplishment. Simonton has created a monument to completeness and complexity, but it is highly readable. The book is replete with fascinating tables, lists, and charts about individuals deemed as great who share a common characteristic. Consider the following list: John Cleese, Haile Silassie, and Upton Sinclair. What do they have in common? They were only children. What about Sandy Koufax, and e. e. cummings? All were first born, generally an advantage to achieving greatness. What do Edward Teller, Paul Klee, and Michael Jackson have in common? They were all child prodigies.
How about Seneca, Seneca, and Seneca? No doubt a man who had the courage of his convictions and...