Polymath
What is a polymath?
A polymath is a person whose knowledge spans a significant number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems.
Polymaths include the great thinkers of the Renaissance period and the age of enlightenment who excelled at several fields in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the arts. The term Polymath is often used interchangeably with the term Renaissance Man.
The term Renaissance Man is often applied to the gifted people of that age who sought to develop their abilities in all areas of accomplishment: intellectual, artistic, social, physical, and spiritual. Leonardo da Vinci has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance Man. He was a man of “unquenchable curiosity” and “feverish inventive imagination.”
Robert Root-Bernstein believes there are three types of people, the specialist, the polymath, and the dilettante. The specialist has a depth of knowledge, but no breadth, while a dilettante has more breadth of knowledge, but no depth. The polymath is a person with a level of expertise that is able to “put a significant amount of time and effort into their avocations and find ways to use their multiple interests to inform their vocations.” This person is combination of a specialist and a dilettante.
Peter Burke thinks that given the intellectual climate we are in, it is more common to find “passive polymaths,” who consume knowledge in various domains but make their reputation in a single discipline, than “proper polymaths,” who - through a feat of “intellectual heroism” - manage to make serious contributions to several disciplines.
Who are the famous polymaths?
As stated above, LEONARDO DA VINCI, is the archetype of the Renaissance Man or polymath. He was an amazing artist, scientist, and engineer, as well as a great philosopher. Here are some others, with links to their Wikipedia pages:
