EN
The base upon idea of a genius is a root metaphor in which spatial relation are used to picture relationship between the spiritual forces. Genius is spiritual force – personal or not – which dominates some milieu. So, genius is a spiritual force which exert on its environment bigger influence, than this environment impress on its. Inspiration is a mode of its activity as such. In the paper I refer to modern conceptualisation of the genius as contaminated with madness. What is character of this modern “genius-as- mad” contamination? What is its significance to the modern culture? I argue that self-realization and authenticity are the two main imperatives of modernity which gives weight “-”genius -as-mad” figure of thinking. Modernity – in the deep of psyche – finds its motivation to criticize conventional and normative character of culture and base to promote transgressive and self-creative subject. And as a necessary consequence what is at stake in modernity is a fragile and uncertain historicity of the human being.