Research is lots of hard work. There’s a minimum level of intelligence needed, but I’d rather have an acceptable intelligence+hard worker as a collaborator than a genius+slacker.
There aren’t many Archimedes out there and most research is the result of lots of labor.
How do you define "acceptable intelligence"? By their ability to better a lazy genius? I don't really see a non-tautological way to define "acceptable intelligence"
This sort of idea ... I get it, but it runs stuck on what exactly "acceptable intelligence" is. That would be the sort of intelligence 99% or more of the population doesn't have.
Also at some level "I'd rather have" becomes pointless. Choices are usually 1 individual, or waiting 6 months to a year. I don't know if we're in a bubble but I've seen the same in biochemistry research and computer research: academics take everyone they possibly can, because master or above and they will get an unbeatable offer from a huge company very soon.
There aren’t many Archimedes out there and most research is the result of lots of labor.