What if the minds behind America’s founding weren’t just brilliant—but cognitively divergent?
In this post, we explore how the Enlightenment era became a rare cultural moment that not only allowed—but rewarded—unconventional thinking. From Jefferson’s obsessive design to Hamilton’s restless productivity, Adams’ moral absolutism to Franklin’s nonlinear curiosity, we examine how neurodivergent traits may have shaped the United States.
Using the THX frameworks—The 12 Utilities, PERMAH, and the Admiration Equation—we trace the journey from usefulness to flourishing to legacy.
🔧 The 12 Utilities: How the Founders made their ideas useful and emotionally resonant.
🌟 PERMAH: How those ideas inspired deep engagement, purpose, and connection.
🌈 Admiration Equation: How usefulness + identity + aspiration creates lasting admiration.
💡 Key Themes
The Enlightenment as a society optimized for neurodivergence
Traits commonly found in autism, ADHD, OCD, and polymathic minds
A respectful, research-aligned alternative to retrospective diagnosis
The cognitive diversity behind civic innovation and national transformation
🧠 If you’ve ever wondered:
What kinds of minds create lasting systems?
How emotional resonance and structure can coexist?
What it means to lead from the margins of convention…
This is for you.
📌 Mentioned Frameworks
THX 12 Utilities: The dimensions through which people evaluate value and service
PERMAH: Positive psychology’s model for human flourishing
The Admiration Equation: How we move from utility to identity-driven praise
📸 Cover Image Description:
A silhouette of a Founder in profile, overlaid with neural imagery and Enlightenment-era texture.
🖋️ Created by ChatGPT with DALL·E (2025)
🎙️ Want more? (Coming soon)
Dive into the companion profiles of Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, Franklin, Washington, Madison, and Abigail Adams—each examined through the THX lens.
📣 Share this episode with educators, systems designers, civic leaders, and anyone trying to build with (not despite) difference.
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