According to Albert Einstein, “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do". Far from being a manifestation of mere irrationality, folly can be considered a form of eccentric thought, capable of generating novel interpretations, original insights and fresh ways to understand the world. This book accompanies readers into the world of art and the brain. The author uses examples of crazy artists to show how creativity can save the world by providing a different – yet, at the same time, authentic and direct – perspective. Amid widespread uncertainty and new technologies’ homogenizing effects, the author provides an exceptional description of human nature and explores existential themes typically cultivated by mindful people: fragility, beauty, fear.

Lamberto Maffei, a former president of the Italian Accademia dei Lincei, is emeritus professor of Neurobiology at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa.

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