POLYMATHS: 20 LIVING EXAMPLES

A main feature for the autumn issue of Intelligent Life magazine looks at the decline of the polymath. The author, Edward Carr, argues that in this age of specialisation, the polymath has become an endangered species. For an accompanying table, we set about identifying living examples. We asked around the office, inviting nominations from the staff of Intelligent Life and The Economist. The names that came in were highly varied, overwhelmingly male, mostly Anglophone and all over the age of 45.

In the end we included only those who were reckoned to excel in diverse fields; among the scientists, we limited our choice to those, such as Roger Penrose, whose writing has attracted wide acclaim. Here is a selection of the most persuasive candidates, plus the odd wild card. We have listed their principal activities and put them in order of the number of strings they have to their bow. Don't agree with our choices? Feel free to add your own.

5 STRINGS

Nathan Myhrvold: American, 51.
Computer scientist, physicist, entrepreneur, photographer, chef

Richard Posner: American, 70.
Judge, literary critic, economist, political theorist, philosopher

Jared Diamond: American, 71.
Anthropologist, geographer, physiologist, author, ornithologist

Brian Eno: British, 61.
Musician, record producer, visual artist, political activist, diarist

Bruce Dickinson: British, 51.
Singer, TV presenter, pilot, TV presenter, record producer, fencer

4 STRINGS

Noam Chomsky: American, 80.
Philosopher, cognitive scientist, political activist, author

Syed al-Attas: Malaysian, 77.
Theologian, philosopher, historian, calligrapher

Raymond Tallis: British, 63.
Gerontologist, critic, poet, philosopher

Roger Penrose: British, 78.
Physicist, philosopher, author, mathematician

Umberto Eco: Italian, 77.
Novelist, medievalist, semiotician, critic

Al Alvarez: British, 80.
Poet, critic, poker player, climber

Clive James: Australian, 69.
Critic, poet, memoirist, TV presenter

Michael Frayn: British, 75.
Reporter, humorist, novelist, playwright

Stephen Hough: Australian, 47.
Pianist, poet, composer, writer on religion

3 STRINGS

Michael Ignatieff: Canadian, 62.
Historian, TV presenter, politician

Carl Djerassi: American, 85.
Chemist, author, playwright

Douglas Hofstadter: American, 64.
Mathematician, aesthetic theorist, author

George Foreman: American, 60.
Boxer, minister, grill mogul

2 STRINGS

Oliver Sacks: British, 76.
Neurologist, author

Alexander McCall Smith: British, 62.
Novelist, law professor

~ ED CUMMING

Picture Credit: beonthenet (via Flickr)

Autumn 2009  features  Issues & ideas  

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Comments

I don't know how Jonathan

October 7, 2009 - 08:29 — Visitor (not verified)

I don't know how Jonathan Miller could be left out of this list

You put in Brian Eno, but

October 7, 2009 - 10:03 — Ankit SOni (not verified)

You put in Brian Eno, but left out Brian May?

A genuinely talented and incredibly popular rock guitarist, who's an Astrophysicist and a Chancellor of a University?

Arnold Schwarzenneger -

October 8, 2009 - 09:11 — Visitor (not verified)

Arnold Schwarzenneger - bodybuilder, movie actor, politician.

What about ...

October 8, 2009 - 10:43 — Olivia (not verified)

... me? I have them all beat with 6+ strings. Writer, painter, cook, book-maker (real books, not illegal betting), runner, interior designer, singer, sculptor, technology geek, dilettante.

There wasn't a single woman

October 8, 2009 - 16:14 — Visitor (not verified)

There wasn't a single woman that you found that filled as much of the criteria as George Foreman?

You forgot me! Ha. My

October 9, 2009 - 01:28 — Marc (not verified)

You forgot me! Ha. My parents always told me, "Find one thing to do and stick to it. You're wasting your time with all your hobbies..."

MMA, motorcycle racing, billiards, competitive tennis (playing against the lower ranked players of the world), chef (I actually went to culinary school for that one), musician, singer and a writer by profession. And I have absolutely nothing to show for any of that. Maybe I should consider specialization...

Brian May

October 9, 2009 - 08:22 — Carla Fiscina (not verified)

I totally agree with you, how was it possible to omit May, a legendary guitarist of Queen?? He is known for his life-long interest in astrophysics, and several years ago he received his Ph.D. and was appointed Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.

Brian May is also a

October 11, 2009 - 17:13 — Amanda (not verified)

Brian May is also a writer/composer and wrote "I Want it All" "Who Wants to Live Forever" and "We Will Rock You" amoung others. He designed and built his own guitar out of an old fire surround. He is without doubt a polymath.

James Lovelock!

October 12, 2009 - 10:19 — Adam (not verified)

How could we miss out environmental scientist, inventor, chemist and author, James Lovelock?? Still going strong in his 90th year! Ooooh, a howler I fear?

And whilst we're at it, Daniel C. Dennett

October 12, 2009 - 10:24 — Adam (not verified)

Philosopher, cognitive scientist, evolutionary scientist, educator and author?? Described by Richard Dawkins of one of the few philosophers for whom he can find no scientist who doesn't approve of him.

Walter Murch, Oscar-winning

October 24, 2009 - 02:52 — Ilsa (not verified)

Walter Murch, Oscar-winning film editor, sound designer, innovator (using final cut pro to edit Cold Mountain, inventing thinner splicing tape, and coining the term "sound designer")

Walter Murch, Oscar-winning

October 24, 2009 - 02:54 — Ilsa (not verified)

Walter Murch, Oscar-winning film editor, sound designer, and innovator

Stephen Hough

October 25, 2009 - 19:33 — kerryc (not verified)

Stephen Hough is also a painter.

Polymaths

October 27, 2009 - 11:56 — Chris Dooks (not verified)

I found a lot of these polymaths' areas a little too close. Jared Diamond for example - : American, 71. Anthropologist, geographer, physiologist, author, ornithologist.

To be an anthropologist you must know bits of geography and physiology and you need to be able to write to put the fields together such as a dissertation. However, being an ornithologist ramps it up somewhat. Mind you, I don't know his work that well, so I've probably excluded myself out of the conversation...

To me a true polymath must have distinct separations between the fields as well as a general venn diagram-like intimacy between said fields.

Glad to see Bruce Dickinson

November 20, 2009 - 15:22 — Visitor (not verified)

Glad to see Bruce Dickinson on there. Dude, Maiden!!

Polymaths

January 1, 2010 - 14:19 — Visitor (not verified)

Not a single woman! I find that offensive. Even a simple Wikipedia search could have corrected that. How about Heddy Lamarr - screen siren and inventor of the early version of Bluetooth technology?

<>

Polymaths? BS

January 8, 2010 - 15:59 — Leo DV (not verified)

With the exceptions of Hofstadter and Myhrvold,none ,absolutley none of those mentioned are even remotley close to consideration.You have be an expert in at least 6 different fields,minimum, to even be considered. If someone is a philosopher,then he would also be an author because that is how philosphers record their work, in books,which are published.

There are actual polymaths and they have shun the limelight.These superior creatures do exist,but they care not for the spotlight.In this age of dumbing down everything,a super genius is an anomaly to be ignored.

I would like to add Chris

January 25, 2010 - 23:17 — Cyber (not verified)

I would like to add Chris Jericho - Pro Wrestler,Fozzy's frontman singer, author, stage actor, Radio host/

jonathan miller

February 22, 2010 - 06:58 — Visitor (not verified)

I agree, how can Jonathan Miller not be on the list? Doctor, West End and Broadway comedian,TV presenter, critic, author,and a world-famous director of theatre and opera etc.

Re: Polymaths? BS

March 2, 2010 - 19:52 — bbd (not verified)

Agreed. Anybody can claim they are a poker player, poet and critic. Why not add TV watcher, sports fan and smoker to the list of qualifications?

Bruce Dickinson

April 8, 2010 - 22:35 — Rose Ordaz (not verified)

\m/(^_^)\m/ Up The Irons!! Congrads!!!

I'd have to add myself

May 20, 2010 - 13:04 — Timothy Clark (not verified)

I have made an online portfolio showcasing myself as a modern day renaissance man:

www.timothy-clark.com/portfolio

Enjoy!

Oh, really?

June 29, 2010 - 15:35 — Visitor (not verified)

"Have" to be an expert in 6 different fields, minimum? Says who? Or, was this just pulled from your fourth point of contact?

Merriam-Webster's:
Main Entry: poly·math
Pronunciation: \?pä-l?-?math\
Function: noun
Date: 1621
: a person of encyclopedic learning

Random House Dictionary:
pol·y·math? ?/?p?li?mæ?/
–noun
a person of great learning in several fields of study; polyhistor.

American Heritage Dictionary:
pol·y·math (p?l'?-m?th')
n. A person of great or varied learning.

Wikipedia:
A polymath (Greek ?????????, polymath?s, "having learned much") is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas.
...
Caution is necessary when interpreting the word polymath (in the second meaning or any of its synonyms) in a source, since there's always ambiguity of what the word denotes. Also, when a list of subjects in relation to the polymath is given, such lists often seem to imply that the notable polymath was reputable in all fields, but the most common case is that the polymath made his reputation in one or two main fields where he had widely recognized achievements, and that he was merely proficient or actively involved in other fields