The Room within societal structures and individual incentives

The truly astonishing individuals are those that succeed despite rejection, despite the established interests that they work against, despite the leagues of potential losers who assemble against them.

So the question is, how do we, societally speaking, filter out the dangerous nutters from the innovaters and saviours? We have been historically very poor at this vital process. Many of those possessing real genius have never been recognised, recognised only after their deaths or (most tragically and comedically of all) are seen as dangers to society and disenfranchised or even killed.

The difficulty is that not only is it a thin line between madness and genius, but that the societal incentives for innovating and developing are far less effective and immediate than the individual incentives and fears about changes to the status quo. By its nature those who have power and success within society are likely to be there because of the current systems. So the rich and powerful don't usually want change. The poor and weak do, but they have no means of making it happen.

Could the room be that instrument, that filter, that enables society and individuals collectively to transgress the limitations that raw individualism and short-term selfishness have imposed on us? Could a disembodied concept free of ego be the salvation for the masses?

Probably not. It's just a room, after all.