The Polymath: Unlocking the Power of Human Versatility

To polymathise, therefore, is to emancipate oneself from such overwhelming dependence and, in a sense, to pursue true freedom. Instead of trusting those unpredictable elements, one ought to (to quote Emerson) ‘Trust Thyself’.

Lesser known is that Akbar pursued a lifestyle of continuous learning. Despite being illiterate, he surrounded himself with experts on various topics – often asking others to read books aloud to him. He was trained as a soldier and a huntsman, and ultimately became a formidable warrior who would lead and fight in his own battles as emperor. He was

Perhaps the best demonstration of the importance of interdisciplinarity is the largely unappreciated connection between art and science. Indeed, science is often used as a vehicle to excel in art, and vice versa. The creativity resulting from the art–science intersection has been evident throughout history. Leonardo used mathematics to achieve geom

Multi-perspectivism Polymaths thus seek to become more objective – that is, to expand their umwelt. They engage in a method of intellectual enquiry that consists of discovering, pursuing, experiencing and knowing multiple perspectives and then synthesising (fusing and contextualising) them in a way that allows for a more complete, fairer picture of

Alexander von Humboldt, introduced the notion of Wissenschaft, which connotes the all-round development of the individual and the need to cultivate the whole personality rather than just the mind. The purpose of the university, Humboldt insisted, should therefore be to ‘lay open the whole body of knowledge and expound both the principles and founda

In fact, according to Yuval Noah Harari, author of Homo Deus and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, redefining yourself every few years will not be choice, but a necessity: ‘In order to keep up with the world of 2050, you will need not merely to invent new ideas and products – you will above all need to reinvent yourself again and again’.

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, design a building, conn a ship, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve an equation, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficien

Skype, email, Whatsapp, social media, blogs, discussion forums and so on – where minds from a variety of backgrounds come together to share and develop ideas. It is a space where, to quote science writer Matt Ridley, ‘ideas have sex’. Ridley contends that real innovations in technology come from a collective brain; they depend on how well connected

Charles Dodgson was a successful photographer, mathematician, clergyman and inventor but we know him as Lewis Carroll, the writer of short stories, poems and novels, most famously Alice in Wonderland.