Polymaths

[Mounds]

Question: At what point are you considered or can you consider yourself to be a polymath?

Does anyone here have a goal of being a polymath?

[Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi]

I never considered it as such, but I guess so. I just say I'm in permanent identity moratorium.

[Medea33]

Yes.

I don't think I'll ever get to the point where I stop and declare victory - whee, I'm a polymath - but, yeah, specialization is not for me.

[Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi]

Originally Posted by Medea33

specialization is not for me.

That's what I am most frustrated with in the current US university system. Give me electives, or give me death.

[elucidate]

I've never heard of a polymath before, so I'll have to google it and get back to ya.

[Medea33]

Originally Posted by Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi

That's what I am most frustrated with in the current US university system. Give me electives, or give me death.

My daughter is a senior in high school, so starting last spring we've been visiting colleges. At least in the small, liberal arts schools that we've seen, there's a real move toward multi-disciplinary approaches. It's mostly in the humanities, but there are a few programs that add in science, too.

I've insisted she not declare a major until she has to, as well, because that will give her the broadest education. It won't be enough, because colleges and universities have pushed or been pushed toward professional preparation rather than wider goals, but it's a step.

[Brutha]

I see myself as a polymath as I have skills in a variety of fields.

I personally study bioinformatics because it allows me to develop skills in multiple fields. Math, programming, chemistry, biology, neurology, statistics.

I think that statistics is one of the core subjects that you need to be an productive in the coming information age.

I'm a member of a debating club and read political stuff for that part of my education.
I'm also a toastmaster to further develop my public speaking abilities.

I would also the put the moderation of this forum and discussion like this in the humanities box.

I think university is a relatively bad place to learn art or humanities because professors care too much about abstract theory.

As far as art goes, at halve of the evenings I'm dancing Salsa every week. I also have done a bit of webdesign and flyer design for family members.
I also visited the European UserExperience Barcamp this year for the third time (okay the first time it was still called Berlin UserExperience Barcamp).

At the moment I'm doing android software development in my free time. It works that about heavily about UX innovation and also about programming.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Question: At what point are you considered or can you consider yourself to be a polymath?

Oh, it comes naturally to me.

After all, I am an Enneagram Type 5. It's just the way our minds are configured.

Originally Posted by Brutha

I see myself as a polymath as I have skills in a variety of fields.

I personally study bioinformatics because it allows me to develop skills in multiple fields. Math, programming, chemistry, biology, neurology, statistics.

I think that statistics is one of the core subjects that you need to be an productive in the coming information age.

I'm a member of a debating club and read political stuff for that part of my education.
I'm also a toastmaster to further develop my public speaking abilities.

I would also the put the moderation of this forum and discussion like this in the humanities box.

I think university is a relatively bad place to learn art or humanities because professors care too much about abstract theory.

As far as art goes, at halve of the evenings I'm dancing Salsa every week. I also have done a bit of webdesign and flyer design for family members.
I also visited the European UserExperience Barcamp this year for the third time (okay the first time it was still called Berlin UserExperience Barcamp).

At the moment I'm doing android software development in my free time. It works that about heavily about UX innovation and also about programming.

Okay let's see.

Basically I am a lawyer by training. Started off, specialising in criminal law.

However, since I switched into the banking industry, I've picked up lots of finance-related knowledge. Actually I also hold some professional qualifications in finance now.

I am also an award-winning poet and have published my own book. Some of my works are regularly used in schools in my country, even as exam questions, for literature students. Yeah, I get asked to give talks at schools etc.

I am also quite musical. I have just a little bit of training, but in university I used to act and sing in plays and musicals and I've grown pretty good on the guitar over the years.

Oh, I also used to be in the national junior team for chess (and I was the varsity champion + varsity captain). However, I've quit playing competitively. In the past, on a good day, I might well beat an international master (although international grandmasters would trounce me ).

I have fairly deep knowledge of a variety of religions and metaphysical topics. And from time to time, I hang out with various interesting people and ... entities .... of that kind.

Public speaking comes naturally to me, since I've had to do it in various different situations over the years.

Oh, I'm a fairly decent swimmer myself. Although that probably doesn't count much, toward being a polymath.

[honbloke]

I consider myself to be aspiring polymath. It seems to be very useful when you know so many things. It is like doing a one man show and feel so in control of your life when you know so many things.

[amadahy]

Yeah, I too feel like an aspiring polymath. I try to take a holistic approach to my education, and to take charge/responsibility of my own education in the first place. Achieve some intellectual breadth.

One of the methods I've worked out is to, at least once a month, read a book on a topic that is of no interest to me. For instance, I started off as a strictly humanities/social issues girl, but I forced myself to crack open a giant tome on electronics. And I got into it. Thanks in part to this recent awakening, I bought a learner's kit and started wielding a soldering iron. I figure it gives me eccentricity cred if anything

I think that to be a polymath is to be a glutton for knowledge and experience. It requires a vibrant curiosity and alertness.

Anyway, my own personal gauge of polymath-ness is fluidity and comfort in many different areas of knowledge; dancing from one vocabulary to another, equally at home with LSD or property taxes. Turning on a conversational dime with ease and confidence.

How many sand particles make a sand pile?
When does one become a polymath? I have no idea.

[NewSimon]

A Polymath really is someone who exceeds in more than one field. It isn't really enough to simply be very good or adequate a several things. It means having recognition, although being recognised at one thing tends to lead to recognition at something else. Intelligent Life magazine did an interesting article last year:

POLYMATHS: 20 LIVING EXAMPLES | More Intelligent Life

Some fields do seem to overlap in the list given, being a great Physicist also involves being a very good Mathematician and being able to communicate means being a good Author. Da Vinci is still the greatest Polymath.

[relaXman]

yes ;

I am exactly polymath ;
becoming polymath is good ?
If you are not specialized in a certain issue bringing you money or other certain advantages, throw it to trash ,,,

Generally,
no one wants to be polymaths with your own request, people become polymath by life conditions,
you got to learn, specialize in different kind of concept because of problems,illness, unemployment exc...

I have deep experiences and knowledges on following subject better than professional for majority of them ,

1. Electrical-electronic issues
" I am electric-electronic engineer "

2. IT ıssues
" I am MCSE Microsoft system engineer

3. Sales -marketings,
I am sales professional

4. Medicine,
better than doctors

5. Alternatives medicine

6. Herbal tea,

7. Crystals,

8. Exercises, ,
yoga, 5 tibet exercises, breathing exercises... exc...

9. parapsychology,
astral projection, lucid dream exc...

10. consumer electronic products ,
Camera, LCD plasma tv from my job experineces

11. literetures
poems ,poets, books, writers

12. pers. development, spiritual techniques,
self-hypnossis,deep relaxing tech. meditation exc...

13. local and global politics

14. religions, sufism, mistizm

15. english language as a Turkish

16. farming, village life, natures
in my childhood, I worked in my garden full time, field ,

17. spa,
thermal water , massage,

18. mind exericses ;
sudoku exc....

19. world music

20. cook,
I know how to cook of many meal

21. driving

22. love and women..
How to make someone feel in love yourself in 3 seconds,
What does it means rejection,,,

[metamorph]

Originally Posted by Mounds

Does anyone here have a goal of being a polymath?

I am going through phases: I get hooked by something, explore it to the extreme, and then move on. However, I am not trying to impress people with facts or trivia, so once I move on, I tend to forget much of it, because it is not relevant to me anymore. What is left is a genuine "been there, done that...". I guess skills you aquire remain though.

[Criseyde]

I don't know but I'd love to be one. Raymond Tallis is my hero. I frequently feel like there isn't enough room in one life for all the things I want to learn and do.

[Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi]

Originally Posted by Criseyde

I don't know but I'd love to be one. Raymond Tallis is my hero. I frequently feel like there isn't enough room in one life for all the things I want to learn and do.

That's that multiple incarnation thing.

[Criseyde]

Originally Posted by Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi

That's that multiple incarnation thing.

What? You mean I can do it in several lifetimes? I'm impatient, too.