Polymath

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Is anybody here a polymath? If so, what have you learned to do so far, what are your skills?

Just to help out, Wikipedia defines 'Polymath' as... "a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas -- such a person is known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems."

For example, Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance, whose areas of interest included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. He has been variously called the father of paleontology, ichnology, and architecture, and is widely considered one of the greatest painters of all time. Sometimes credited with the inventions of the parachute, helicopter and tank, he epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal.

Thanks for helping! I should have clarified more, I suppose. A polymath is not a "jack-of-all-trades, master of none". A polymath can master multiple areas of work and study. For example, many people can change the oil in their car, do their job well and maybe even learn to play an instrument. A polymath will learn to diagnose and repair anything on a car, master almost any job that they attempt and, if he/she learns to play an instrument, he/she will master the instrument and probably play more than one. That same person may also be able to engineer complex machines, comprehend quantum theories, understand human growth and development, etc. and be able to synthesize the information from many disciplines into new ideas, perspectives and/or theories as well as create machines, products, etc. as proof. Anybody like that on here?

My wife suggested I was a polymath, as I'd pick up new hobbies and really excel in them. Isn’t that what Aspies do?

I was a top science student in school. Then I learned engineering in college, as I realized that there were a lot more engineering jobs than science jobs. Each semester I'd pick a course and excel in it. I took just enough math courses to become a member of the math honor society, as well as a member of two engineering honor societies, while getting an honors engineering degree in four years. I learned how to write in my new job.

After I bought I house I learned how to fix all sorts of appliances. Though I now have enough money to easily replace anything that breaks. We hired a master electrician that was impressed with my installation of a ceiling fan. I have a yard filled with flowers from late March through about mid November. I am getting pretty good at cooking. I also know how to make stuff using a milling machine and a lathe. As well as using more basic tools like chisels, axes, and saws. I am reasonably adept at identifying birds and insects in my yard.

I played lots of chess in college, but wasn’t good enough to beat the better players, even though I never lost a game playing for the high school chess team. I also have a bunch of other hobbies, but won't get too specific in the interest of maintaining a little privacy on the internet.

Mastery of subjects is the key. Many polymaths master a subject, then another, then another over the course of decades.

Yes, BDTD, you're possibly a polymath. Aspie's don't generally excel at everything they try and are often obsessed with one particular thing. I'm both, you may be, too. Less than 1% of the population are polymaths. I'm trying to figure out a way to create a connection or social media platform for polymaths. The term is being used horrendously wrong in social media, silicon valley, etc. I've spoken with people who think that they're polymaths but they're actually just really good with numbers or pattern recognition, etc. They couldn't fix a car, paint a picture, build a house or write a musical score to save their lives. I'd like to interact with actual polymaths. Being autistic is isolating enough, adding polymathy just increases the unwillingness of many (most) people to engage with me on projects or even in conversation. A very intelligent attorney recently told me that "nobody likes a know-it-all" because I was reciting laws that he should have known, but didn't. It's not my fault that I love to research and study and that I can store and recall vast amounts of information. I don't know it all - that's why I'm constantly learning, but people perceive it that way because it affects their own self-views and their egos. So, I'm thinking that other polymaths might receive the same types of delusional statements from people who really just don't feel secure in their own knowledge or have egos that don't allow room to learn and grow rapidly. A place for this 1% who does, a place where discussions can occur at the Ph.D. level without anything being taken too personally, would be really relieving for me. Anybody else feel that way?

I doubt I'm a polymath, but whatever job I did I would quickly become the resident expert, due to total obsession.
I realised in the second last job I had that I had become so highly specialised that no one actually knew what I did, which was a very weird situation, because I could do practically anything and say, "that's my job" and people would accept that.

The same was true in sport.
I had a number of former Olympic athletes who looked to me for technical advice on their performance, which was quite daunting.
It was mainly because the coaches used my technique as an example.

Im a bit too young to call myself one, but I sure do love learning as much as I can. Gotta keep life interesting, right?
Currently I can talk your ear off about:
-Most Agricultural topics though I specialize in: sustainable agriculture, organic farming, aquaculture, gmos, food science, and genetics
-Animal science gets its own category since it covers all aspects of the industry. Companion animals, livestock, the food industry, etc etc
-Horses. Anything and everything.
-Veterinary medicine
-Taxonomy
-Theory of Evolution
-Marine biology
-Astrology
-Environmental science (climate change is real yo)
-lots and lots of other things those are just my favs
Currently I can do:
-basic engineering (only just started learning, but I learned how to hotwire a car ages ago )
-guitar, ukelele, piano, flute, piccolo, bass, and mediocre violin
-Im really good at actual math and numbers (I was in every single honor society my school had)
-basic computer science (I just wanted to learn hacking lol)
-gardening (yes that does take skill- I do a lot more than just plant flowers)
-painting, sketching, drawing (theres a difference!), very basic metalwork, calligraphy/hand lettering
-I can fly a helicopter but I do not have my license as I realized I actually hate helicopters
-I could probably be a competent copilot in a small plane since Ive done it several times: Im working on getting my parents to let me get my pilots license
-if athletics count than I was on varsity lacrosse and track, and was on my high schools equestrian team and part of our cirque program. I can also play tennis, soccer, softball, volleyball, and ice skate. I was a good gymnast too until my parents made me quit.
-working on my fourth language
-fluent in ASL
-am currently a certified veterinary assistant
-probably forgetting a few things but this list is getting long
I tend to get hooked on a topic and not stop till I have learned it to as high a level of expertise as I can manage. (My friends like to call me a walking encyclopedia Theyre not far off tho. That used to be a fav game of mine) I might not be a polymath but if you ever want to talk about any of those subjects Id be happy to!!

i'm not particularly good at anything so not me, no.



why is it necessary for you to be acquainted with polymaths?

i have a lot of hobbies but my skills vary greatly. I would say art and music are the only things I have a chance of becoming a "master" at. I wish I'd have engineering skills - it seems fun to just make stuff!
I like to make things and have a product to be proud of. Leonardo Da Vinci is amazing.

It's not important for me to get in touch with other polymaths. I'm interested in developing a business in which polymaths can explore and create whatever they want and then use those developments, creations, etc. to change education on local and global scales. A similar business model exists but that company is profiting off of the minds of these people and owning everything that is developed, then implementing it in "emerging markets" in order to gain profit under the guise of "building a middle class" in those areas.
Without getting too deeply involved in a conversation about Keynesian VS. Friedman's theories of economics, it's well known that the middle class can be built not by a single, or a small group of companies, owning many businesses but, instead, by many individuals and small groups actually owning the businesses.
I don't want to build a "middle-class" - our current economic system, adopted first by Margaret Thatcher and then by Bush Jr. under everybody's noses and NEVER talked about, is already in place and doing exactly what it was designed, tested and adopted to do - suck money from the middle-class very quickly and put it into the top 10%. The only way to stop that is to adopt a new economic model at the federal level.
Education in the U.S. is in a kind of "death spiral" so instead of using polymaths and/or HFA's to generate profit, a cyber-security expert and I are working on developing a company where we can work and play and the "fruits" that are generated can be utilized by individuals to start schools, enhance current educational systems, introduce new concepts and ideas to the public through mass media, etc. There's no telling what could come out of it but if it's non-profit and structured like Mozilla (in a way) then the potential for change is immense.

Does any of that make sense to anybody?

I wouldn't consider myself an expert in anything. I do have a good general knowledge base and read about a wide variety of topics but I don't consider myself an expert in any one area.

Kinda I guess I'm pretty well studied in historian, science, art,writing and story telling so in a way but I wouldn't say I was an expert in any of those things but I'd say I have a certain master in a manor of speaking but nobodies ever called me a polymath before genius yes and I have the iq scores to prove it but polymath no but I guess some people might consider me one or I could grow to be one.