Plato's example of the cave was probably the first inquiry ever into the possible effects of television, the illusion of reality, on the minds of man.
Could there be a more clear sign of genius than the ability to create what has timeless value? To create timeless knowledge, a philosopher has to reach out to the absolute truth, for only truth does never change, and thus never looses it’s value. That’s what constitutes the main difference between a philosopher and a mere ideologist, the “truth” of the ideologist has constantly to be re-adjusted whenever it comes in contact with reality, the unchanging object of knowledge, or whenever time went by and changed the external appearances, the ever changing object of ignorant fools and the ideologist.