You don’t have to drop out of society to be an unknown genius. You just have to direct your genius at something non-public. I know a number of incredible people just quietly getting on with being excellent at something super-niche and never seeking publicity.
I’d go even further and say that in most cases these days, even true genius is likely to be overlooked unless it coincides with a gift for self-promotion.
Only the absolute rarest of masterpieces can rise above the noise just based on the brilliance of the work itself. And even then, there’s a pretty good chance someone better at marketing will just copy it and receive all the credit.
Shakespeare could have been just as brilliant a writer, but if he hadn't run a theater (and therefore had the power to put on his own plays), we might not have heard nearly as much about him.
> in general, there may (actually, must) be geniuses who have dropped out of society.
I know quite a few. One was a chess prodigy who never advanced past the fourth grade. He taught himself several trades, became an accomplished musician, but lives completely off the grid and avoids any kind of contact with official entities for various reasons. Although he’s generally considered uneducated, there’s this strange spark of wisdom behind his eyes when you talk with him. Makes you wonder how many people there are like this, toiling away as nobodies, barely visible in society.
