K. Daniel Cho is Professor of Education at Otterbein University (Columbus, Ohio). A philosopher by training, he works at the crossroads of psychoanalysis, socio-political philosophy, and pedagogy. His most recent monograph Genius After Psychoanalysis: Freud and Lacan was published in 2024.

His talk in the PRISM Talk Series – Philosophical Reflections and Inquiries on Society and Mind revisits key arguments from Genius After Psychoanalysis and offers a radical redefinition of the classical notion of genius.
Contrary to the widespread belief that equates genius with an innate, elitist gift, Cho—drawing on Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan—argues that genius is, rather, an attitude that not only endures the inevitable missteps of intellectual and creative work but also recognises them as precious moments that form the very foundation of any process of genius.
Building on this insight, he explores the educational and policy implications of an approach that privileges process and productive failure over standardized tests and quantifiable outcomes.