Marginal figures more naturally produce radical symbolic invention

Evidence

The best candidates are those with a deep and specialized knowledge of symbols. They don’t have to be elites in the economic sense; radical invention is often a more natural exercise for those at the margins of society. Nor does artistic invention need to be a purely intellectual exercise, like the Glass Bead Game of Hermann Hesse’s novel. There is creativity everywhere—some trained, some naive. But the most skilled practitioners should receive social rewards for their inventions—not just for the attraction of large audiences. — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 828

Categorization

• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
• XREF: connects to: Initial status value shapes whether a fashion becomes tradition — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 808; Cultural ecosystems need high-complexity margins to stay fresh — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 824; Intellectual originality can be a product of marginal social position — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 10 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Intellectual originality can be a product of marginal social position #corroborates (0.95) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 10
• Marginalized subcultures fuel mainstream cultural innovation, not the reverse #exemplifies (0.90) — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 860
• Marginality from the world undercuts the rootedness art and thought require #contradicts (0.80) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 290
• Cultural invention historically arose from small creative enclaves insulated from commerce #complicates (0.72) — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 851