Hunt for Modern Polymaths: 20 Living Examples

http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/blog/ed-cumming/hunting-modern-polymaths

by yarapavan • 17 years ago

3 13 17 years ago

moreintelligentlife.com

yarapavan2• 17 years ago

A Polymath is someone who knows a lot about a lot and whose expertise fills a number of significant subject areas.

I know that there are lots of people who'll fit the bill.

Who do you recommend as a living example of a modern polymath?

rglovejoy• 17 years ago

* Anthony Julius - Author, Literary Critic, Attorney

* Donald Knuth - Mathematician, Typographer, Musician, Philosopher

* Rudy Rucker - Mathematician, Science Fiction Writer

* Alex Kozinski - Federal Judge, Essayist, Humorist

* Murray Gell-Mann - Physicist, Mathematician, Linguist

yarapavan2• 17 years ago

One more addition * Von Neumann - Mathematician, Economist,Game Theorist, Computer Scientist.

samlittlewood• 17 years ago

Jonathan Miller - Medical doctor, neuropsychology research, opera, theatre & TV director, wrote and performed in 'Beyond the Fringe', Sculpture, TV presenter, author.

(Not only did he do these things - he excel(ed/s) at them)

MaysonL• 17 years ago

Juli Crockett[1] - singer-songwriter, playwright & director [just had a play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival], blogger, philosopher [currently writing her doctoral thesis], and retired professional boxer[3-0]. And she's a lot younger (and prettier) than any of those listed in the article.

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juli_Crockett

frisco• 17 years ago

A lot of the "strings" seem expansions of others or superfluous. For example, it lists "Physicist, philosopher, author, mathematician" for Penrose. I'm not so sure that theoretical physics and maths are different enough to qualify you as a polymath, and "author" falls out of being a good physicist; he's not exactly writing fiction on the side.

piramida• 17 years ago

My thoughts exactly. Taking this criteria, thousands of people can be listed, author just lists people he heard of. Not like any of them are a new Leo.

But yes, even in specialization age there are talented people who are successful in more than one discipline. There are many thousands of them. But "successful" and being world's best is different - there are what, zero people in this list who can be considered top of the crop in more than one listed area?

chromophore• 17 years ago

I don't agree with you. Read "Shadows of the Mind", your opinions on him might change.

I don't think being a Polymath means you have to know mutually exclusive stuff. I don't that's possible in the sciences anyway.

Hunt for Modern Polymaths: 20 Living Examples

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