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What should one study to become a modern Polymath


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#1 John2009

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Posted 11 January 2010 - 12:25 AM


Hi everyone,

A polymath or a Renaissance person is considered someone with an extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymath

http://en.wiktionary...renaissance_man

The idea of at least *striving to become* well rounded like a polymath appeals to me. I'm interested in receiving feedback on the following questions & comments.

1. What would be a good list of subjects for someone to study if they want to strive to become a modern polymath ?

2. Once what should be studied is generally defined, what specific books, DVD's, and educational materials, are recommended for each subject ?

We live in a world with an overwhelming amount of subjects and knowledge, and it's growing all the time. It seems the list must be of a practical nature & size, and the teaching materials must lend themselves to self-teaching. It also seems the materials must convey a solid overview of the subjects without getting extremely deep, and convey the information in a clear and efficient manner.

3. Are there any schools or colleges that provide a single course that would cover this type of thing, something that provides a good overview of several subjects, but does not dwell too deeply into any one specific subject ?

I would be grateful for any recommendations for specific books, publishers, websites, DVD's , or other educational materials that may lend themselves to this purpose. Any general opinions or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
John

#2 modelcadet

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Posted 11 January 2010 - 01:23 AM

1. What would be a good list of subjects for someone to study if they want to strive to become a modern polymath ?

Topping my list is Topology. It's hotness is most evident when applied to information systems. One thing that may help you find subjects to study is perusing mathworld.. To be an effective polymath, it doesn't help to merely study math. You must exercise your greater mathematical talent by forcing yourself to try to complete problems you have yet been taught to solve. Before you undertake a particular section of a text, see if you can solve the exercises before you learn the theory!

3. Are there any schools or colleges that provide a single course that would cover this type of thing, something that provides a good overview of several subjects, but does not dwell too deeply into any one specific subject ?

At UVa, I took a 100 level course called "The Art of Mathematical Thinking" that sampled fun problems from many branches of mathematics. Don't come to UVa though; our Math department is garbage.

#3 Cyberbrain

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Posted 11 January 2010 - 03:33 AM

If you want to be a Polymath just be a good intellectual.

Engineers typically are Renaissance Men since they have to know a great deal of science, math and reasoning. So one idea is to pursue a career in an engineering field.

The top five engineering fields are Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical and Industrial Engineering. Being an engineer is the ultimate way to be a Polymath.

Otherwise to be a general Polymath just follow current events, politics, economics, art, etc. Read magazines, newspapers, blogs and follow trivia games I guess. Documentaries are also great.

It's not really hard to be an intellectual, it just takes time and patients in order to obtain experience and knowledge. And there's no better place to do this than a university (or Wikipedia lol).

If I had to choose, I would look for seminar courses in global studies. Studying other cultures and globalization is one way to seem smart.

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#4 KalaBeth

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Posted 11 January 2010 - 03:44 AM

First - what you're asking for is pretty much what a decent liberal arts education was originally supposed to provide - a good grounding in the basics of the various foundational sciences, mathematics, history, major languages, literature, et al. As you (and the wiki) point out, the breadth of human knowledge for at least the last couple hundred years has precluded any single person from attaining an expert level of familiarity with more than a smidgen of it.

Second - a single course won't even give you the slightest taste of it. You're talking about a goal that takes years to attain - this is the work of a lifetime, not a semester.
Honestly though, this is one of those times where it is the journey rather than the destination that's important.

The single most important step is to learn to take joy in learning for the sake of learning. And finding friends that enjoy talking about these kinds of things.

Third - Books and classes aren't enough to really get the "feel" of a discipline. Think of it like the secular version of apostolic succession - some aspects of any given discipline are only learned by being in that discipline for a while - getting to know the people and the slang and the in-jokes of the community. Things most people would consider unimportant enough to document, but flavor the very water of the texts and classwork.

Fourth - the canon itself. Obviously everyone has their own sacred cows, but this is what I'd put forth as an absolute minimum

==========================================

Sciences: 100 to 200 level coursework in Geology, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Including the histories thereof - read at least a few of the landmark works in primary form (...Origin of Species, for instance). Also math at least through Pre-Calc.

History: At the very least, a broad overview of Egyptian, Phoenician, Hebreaic, Heroic Age Greece, Roman Republic and Empire periods, and the history of Western Europe from the Dark Ages to today. Given current world events of the last decade, special focus on the origins of Islam, it's original spread and resistance thereto, and the origins of the newer more radical movements (Qutb particularly) are well worth getting a grounding in.

I'd personally suggest supplementing the above by finding some historical reenactors in your area and/or western martial artists and/or a modern soldier up on his doctrine and military history. Not necessarily for the art itself, but to better understand the mindset of the people doing the fighting - since so much of human history has been fighting, sadly.

Economics: Smith, Keynes,Marx/Engles, Friedman/Hayek - know at least the names and summarize their views.

Literature: Work through any 101 or 201 syllabus prior to 1960 or so... the Big Milestones are usually Beowulf, Chaucer, a couple Shakespeare plays and sonnets, maybe Milton or Donne or Spencer.. then a couple Romantics like Byron or Blake, and a 19th c. novel or three. I'm not overly fond of Dickens, but he was popular and gives a decent feel for the age. Maybe Doyle would be more fun. :~

Humanities: "History of Art" and "History of Music" 101 level.
In both literature and the humanities, I'd definitely stick with canons put together prior to the PC era. Not because there aren't great and important works done by people of all manner of minority status, but because you're looking for fundamental milestones in the art - and modern canons frequently give short shrift to the latter so as to give more time to the former.

I'd also add - have at least one means of artistic expression. Doesn't matter if it's playing Blues guitar instead of Classical violin, or drawing Manga instead of Renoir copies, but have at least one artistic hobby. Just 'cause.

Law: don't know enough to give an opinion. But Roman law and the origins of Common Law (plus if you're American, a good working knowledge of the Constitution and the arguments on both sides leading up to it, along with being able to list the Bill of Rights (if not recite from memory)) should be in there.

Medicine: basic anatomy and first responder level of medical treatment

Physicality: Practice at least one sport or other physical endeavor... better if it has a cultural history with big names to know (be it Owens or Musashi) - but at least something.

===================================================



That's a "off the top of my head for the bare basics of what it takes to call yourself a semi-educated human being" list.

At best, I'd add things like knowing Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, conversational knowledge of the "big names" of Classical and Biblical thought in their original language, church history from the 1st century through the Reformation and the resulting wars in Europe (because it DID shape much of Western thought for over a thousand years), foundational writings from Newton, Galileo, Hutton, Darwin, as well as Hobbes, Rousseau, Paine, Nietzsche, ... prolly others I'm forgetting. You'll note a lot of the people in that list would hate each other and disagree vociferously about almost everything. That's on purpose. ;)


A lot of this stuff you can find as "all you need to know about X" books in the discount rack at Barnes and Noble.. but know that what you read in those is sometimes simplified to the point of being misleading. So again we're back to the ... keep learning all your life. Forever.

One SUPERB resource we all have today is the sheer volume of GOOD lectures available online. YouTube is loaded with college courses in a wide variety of subjects - the resource material is often redacted for copyright reasons, but the lectures themselves are complete and amazing - check out Yale's channel on YouTube. And the TED talks, of course. I love the Juan Enriquez ones. :~



The last thing I'd add is more a personal note. There is no substitute for finding one person who argues well against something you deeply believe and listening to their lectures online and/or simply having dinner with them.


How's that for a start?





PS... here's another guy's suggestions:
http://en.wikipedia....iki/Great_Books

Edited by KalaBeth, 11 January 2010 - 04:05 AM.


#5 modelcadet

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Posted 11 January 2010 - 08:25 AM

Interesting. I'd always thought a polymath was less similar to a renaissance man, and more specific to math. Good to learn the etymology now, after finally checking that wikipedia link.
Well, if you want to become a math savant, follow my gentle nudging above. Otherwise, I'd suggest hitting up digg, reddit, and del.icio.us every five seconds.

#6 Athanasios

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Posted 11 January 2010 - 04:33 PM

I agree with Cyberbrain on the engineering. I would also include learning how to homestead and survive off of the land. Keep your curiosity high and do not neglect the subjects of history or literature.

Learn how to spot quality information dense sources and demand this of most anything you put your time into. This will save you a lot of time and allow time to focus on an area of expertise related to your goals.

It is surprising how much your world view can expand after all this 'studying'.

Edited by cnorwood, 11 January 2010 - 04:38 PM.


#7 John2009

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Posted 11 January 2010 - 08:46 PM

Thanks for all the feedback guys, it's much appreciated.

I've found in the past that the difference between being confused or *really getting* something lies in the textbook itself, or finding educational materials that suite your personal learning style. You read a book on a subject and it seems unclear, then you get another book on the same subject and it's very clear. Some of this is because we all have different learning styles, and some of this is because some textbooks are just not written well. I have felt at times that many professors today are writing textbooks to impress their peers or show people how smart they are rather than to actually teach something.

One thing that has worked for me is to check a bunch of books out at the library (on the same subject) and see which one best suites me, then buy that particular book and add it to my small personal library.

It seems finding quality educational materials that lend themselves to self-teaching would be imperative, and a logical first step to avoid wasting time with either poor quality materials or materials not well suited to the students learning style.

Short of a specific college or school course designed to provide a well rounded overall education or to create (as near as is practically possible today) a modern polymath, perhaps viewing DVD encyclopedias over and over would be an efficient way to *approach* being a modern polymath, if it is really possible today with all the information available. Of course, it's not all about facts and figures, there is the social and artistic side and for that stuff you just have to jump in there an do it. It's like learning to ride a bike, swim, or play an instrument, no book or teacher can really teach you how to do those things, they can help, but ultimately you have to experience them to learn them. I suppose there are many aspects to life like that.

I can't help but wonder what guys like Leonardo da Vinci & Einstein could have done with the amount of information & the communication efficiency available today, the INTERNET, & modern computing power.

John




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