The world in which we live emphasizes hyper-specialization as a means to reach full potential. Graduates are encouraged to reduce themselves to an area of expertise to then allow them to fit into a specific niche. Young people are encouraged to choose specific sports where they excel rather than engage in all sports if they have any hope for a professional career. Unfortunately, the practice of specializing in a single discipline is slowly eliminating the once popular aspiration of becoming a well-rounded person capable of fighting in more than one discipline. A person should have a firm grip on every aspect of his life and to solve the mysteries of life in different disciplines.
Definition of a Polymath
A polimath is a person with vast experience or extensive knowledge that embraces a wide range of different subjects or a person who excels in a wide variety of disciplines or subjects. It means that the knowledge of the person is not limited to a single subject but is based on complex corpus of knowledge to provide a solution to a problem. Polymath is used to describe great Renaissance thinkers who excelled in different fields, including science and art. Examples of a multi-instrumentalist in history include Leon Battista Alberti, who was an accomplished architecture, painter, mathematician and poet, and Leonardo da Vinci who was famous in the diverse field of art, science, music and literature.
Renaissance ideal
A Renaissance man is a gifted person who seeks to develop his skills in all areas of achievement including intellectually, artistically and physically. The term “Renaissance man” was first used in the 20th century but refers to great thinkers, both past and present. Several polymers lived during the Renaissance period that began in Italy around the 14th century before spreading to the rest of Europe. The ideal of Renaissance humanism was characterized by the acquisition of knowledge in a wide range of subjects. To realize the idea of the Renaissance, we expected that we could speak different languages, play different musical instruments and engage in art, and so on. Universal education was necessary to obtain a multipurpose ability that led to the invention of the word “university” which was used to describe a place of learning. The universities have trained students in a wide range of sciences, philosophy and theology. Today’s Renaissance man is associated with a person who has superficial knowledge in different fields or has more than one talent.
Polymaths recognized
In addition to Leonardo da Vinci and Leone Battista Alberti, many men and women in history are considered policemen. HG Wells was a multi-instrumentalist and British historian who compressed the entire history of the world into a single volume. Mary Somerville was a famous scientist who wrote on various subjects and subjects including astronomy, mathematics, chemistry and geology. Herbert Simon is famous for his work in psychology, artificial intelligence and a Nobel Prize in Economics. Thomas Jefferson was a policeman whose list of results varied greatly in different fields, including the drafting of the United States Declaration of Independence. Other famous polygamists include Thomas Young, Benjamin Franklin, Aristotle, Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei.
