Polymath

El directorio enciclopédico desde la Wikipedia.

Leonardo da Vinci is regarded in many Western cultures as the archetypal "Renaissance Man" and is one of the most recognizable polymaths.
Leonardo da Vinci is regarded in many Western cultures as the archetypal "Renaissance Man" and is one of the most recognizable polymaths.

A polymath (Greek polymathēs, πολυμαθής, "having learned much")[1] is a person whose knowledge is not restricted to one subject area. The dictionary definition is consistent with informal use, whereby someone very knowledgeable is described as a polymath when the term is used as a noun, or polymath or polymathic when used as adjectives.

The terms Renaissance Man and (less commonly) Homo Universalis (which is Latin for "a universal man" or "man of the world") are related, and used to describe a person who is well educated, or who excels, in a wide variety of subjects or fields.[2] This idea developed in Renaissance Italy from the notion expressed by one of its most accomplished representatives, Leon Battista Alberti (1404–72): that “a man can do all things if he will”. It embodied the basic tenets of Renaissance Humanism, which considered man the centre of the universe, limitless in his capacities for development, and led to the notion that men should try to embrace all knowledge and develop their own capacities as fully as possible. Thus the gifted men of the Renaissance sought to develop skills in all areas of knowledge, in physical development, in social accomplishments, and in the arts.


Contents

[edit] Polymath and polyhistor compared

Many dictionaries of word origins list these words as synonyms or, as words with very similar meanings. Thomas Moore took the words as corresponding to similarly erudite "polys" in one of his poems "Off I fly, careering far/ In chase of Pollys, prettier far/ Than any of their namesakes are, / —The Polymaths and Polyhistors, Polyglots and all their sisters."[3]

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the words mean practically the same; "the classical Latin word polyhistor was used exclusively, and the Greek word frequently, of Alexander Polyhistor", but polymathist appeared later, and then polymath. Thus today, regardless of any differentiation they may have had when originally coined, they are often taken to mean the same thing.

The root terms histor and math have similar meanings in their etymological antecedents (to learn, learned, knowledge), though with some initial and ancillarily added differing qualities. Innate in historíā (Greek and Latin) is that the learning takes place via inquiry and narrative. Hístōr also implies that the polyhistor displays erudition and wisdom. From Proto-Indo-European it shares a root with the word "wit". Inquiry and narrative are specific sets of pedagogical and research heuristics.

Polyhistoric is the corresponding adjective. The word polyhistory (meaning varied learning), when used, is often derogatory.

[edit] List of recognized polymaths

The following people have been described as "polymaths" by several reliable sources—fulfilling the primary definition of the term—although there may not be expert consensus that each is a prime example in the secondary meaning, as "renaissance men" and "universal geniuses" (see Some Renaissance Men above for prime examples of "renaissance men" or "universal geniuses").

  • Aristotle (384–322 BC); [7] "Aristotle was an extraordinary polymath..."[8]
  • Matteo Ricci[citation needed] (1552-1610); an Italian Jesuit and a phenomenal figure in the East-West scientific exchange in China. "Matteo Ricci was the perfect man of culture, a polymath versed in all things, mathematics and literature, philosophy and poetry, mechanics and astronomy." [48] In collaboration with Xu Guangqi, he was also the first to translate classic Confucian texts into Latin and classic Western texts into Chinese (including portions of Euclid's Elements).
  • Xu Guangqi (1562-1633);[49] a Chinese bureaucrat, agricultural scientist, astronomer, and mathematician in the Ming Dynasty, who also helped in the translation of several classic Western texts into Chinese, including part of Euclid's Elements. Xu has been described as "a fascinating polymath who spread his interests far and wide for a specific purpose: statecraft."[49]
  • Athanasius Kircher (born 1601); "a 'polymath' if there ever was one. He studied a variety of subjects including... music, Egyptology, Sinology, botany, magnetism";[52] Athanasius Kircher: The Last Man Who Knew Everything (book title)[53]
  • Mikhail Lomonosov (1711–1765);[55] "Lomonosov was a true polymath—physicist, chemist, natural scientist, poet and linguist...."[56]
  • Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826); some sources describe him as "polymath and President," putting "polymath" first;[57] John F. Kennedy famously commented, addressing a group of Nobel laureates, that it was "the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House—- with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."[58]
  • Edward Heron-Allen[citation needed] (1861–1943); "Heron-Allen is better described as a polymath..."[64] Not only was Heron-Allen a lawyer by trade, he also wrote, lectured on and created violins, was an expert on the art of chiromancy or palmistry, having read palms and analysed the handwriting of luminaries of the period. He wrote on musical, literary and scientific subjects ranging from foraminifera, marine zoology, meteorology, as a Persian scholar translated Classics such as the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and The Lament of Baba Tahir, also wrote on local geographic history, archeology, Buddhist philosophy, the cultivation, gourmet appreciation of and culture of the asparagus, as well as a number of novels and short stories of science fiction and horror written under his pseudonymn of "Christopher Blayre."
  • H. G. Wells[citation needed] (1866–1946); "Fifty years ago, the British polymath and amateur historian was able to compress the history of the world up to 1920 into one volume..."[65]
  • André Malraux[citation needed] (1901-1976); French novelist, art historian, adventurer and politician;" France's first minister of culture and polymath extraordinaire"[68]
  • John von Neumann (1903–1957); Physicist, mathematician, contributions to game theory, economics, pioneering computer scientist. "It isn't often that the human race produces a polymath like von Neumann, then sets him to work in the middle of the biggest crisis in human history..."[69] "Other luminaries would follow Einstein to New Jersey, including the dazzling Hungarian polymath, John von Neumann..."[70]
  • Herbert Simon[citation needed] (1916-2001); "Simon is a very distinguished polymath, famous for work in psychology and computer science, philosophy of science, a leader in artificial intelligence, and a Nobel Prize winner in Economics."[71]
  • Satyajit Ray (1921–1992);[72] an Indian Bengali polymath; Although known primarily as a film director, Ray excelled in many other roles such as a prolific fiction and non-fiction writer, puzzle author, painter, childrens' verse writer, editor, translator, publisher, illustrator, graphic designer, typographer and film critic. In most of his films, he would write scripts (original or adaptation), compose music and lyrics, story board, orchastrate the score, cast actors, design costumes, design title cards, design posters and other PR material as well as closely control cinematography, art direction and editing.[72]

[edit] "'Polymath' sportsmen"

In Britain, phrases such as "polymath sportsman," "sporting polymath," or simply "polymath" are occasionally used in a restricted sense to refer to athletes that have performed at a high level in several very different sports. (One whose accomplishments are limited to athletics would not be considered to be a "polymath" in the usual sense of the word). Examples would include:

[edit] Fictional polymaths

Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, Nero Wolfe, William of Baskerville, Gregory House of House M.D., Robert Goren of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Citan Uzuki of Xenogears, Spider-Man, Buckaroo Banzai, Artemis Fowl II, Grand Admiral Thrawn of Star Wars, Dunstan Ramsay of Robertson Davies's novel Fifth Business, Professor Abraham Van Helsing of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Batman, Mister Peabody, Gil Grissom of CSI: Las Vegas, Agent Pendergast, Hannibal Lecter, Doc Savage, Spock of Star Trek, James Bond, The Lizard of Spider-Man, Jarod of The Pretender, Dess of Midnighter's Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, Albert Wesker of Resident Evil, Charlie of Heroes, Sam Beckett of Quantum Leap, MacGyver, Fox Mulder from the X-Files and many main characters in the novels of Robert A. Heinlein could fairly be described as polymaths.

Polymaths in fiction often have a certain eccentricity about their knowledge, e.g., Doctor Who: "He claims he's (a doctor) of everything."

In the film Phenomenon, John Travolta plays a character who has inexplicably and suddenly become a budding polymath-type individual, somewhat akin to the Charley in Flowers for Algernon.

[edit] See also

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ The term was first recorded in written English in the early seventeenth century Harper, Daniel (2001). "Online Etymology Dictionary". Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  2. ^ Encarta dictionary
  3. ^ The Complete Poems of Sir Thomas Moore by Thomas Moore - Project Gutenberg
  4. ^ Wilhelmina Wright-Harp, Patricia A. Cole (Spring 2008), "A Mentoring Model for Enhancing Success in Graduate Education", Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders 35: 4–16 [4] 
  5. ^ Glaser, Joel S. (June 2008), "Romancing the Chiasm: Vision, Vocalization, and Virtuosity", Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology 28(2): 131-43 
  6. ^ The Egyptian Building Mania, Acta Divrna, Vol. III, Issue IV, January, 2004.
  7. ^ "He was a remarkable polymath. He made major contributions to logic, metaphysics, the natural sciences (above all biology), psychology, ethics, literary criticism..");Moore, A. W. (2001). The Infinite. Routledge. ISBN.  p. 34
  8. ^ Heater, Derek (2004). A Brief History Of Citizenship. New York University Press. ISBN. , "Aristotle was an extraordinary polymath, although only two of his great range of works, which were probably in origin lectures, interest us here."p. 16
  9. ^ Mair, Victor H. (2001). The Columbia History of Chinese Literature. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231109849. Page 251.
  10. ^ Yan, Hong-sen. (2007). Reconstruction Designs of Lost Ancient Chinese Machinery. Dordrecht: Springer. ISBN 1402064594. Page 127.
  11. ^ Dillon, Michael. (1998). China: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary. Surrey: Routledge Curzon Press. ISBN 0700704396. Page 378.
  12. ^ Krebs, Robert E. (2003). The Basics of Earth Science. Westport: Greenwood Press of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN 0313319308. Page 31.
  13. ^ Unal, Ali (2007), Islamic Perspectives on Science: Knowledge and Responsibility, Tughra Books, p. 8, ISBN 1597840696 
  14. ^ Ziauddin Sardar, Merryl Wyn Davies (2004), The No-nonsense Guide to Islam, Verso Books, p. 87, ISBN 1859844545 
  15. ^ Bio-Bibliographies, United States National Library of Medicine.
  16. ^ Bosworth, C. E. (March 1963), "A Pioneer Arabic Encyclopedia of the Sciences: Al Khwarizmi's Keys of the Sciences", Isis 54(1): 97-111 [111] 
  17. ^ Janin, Hunt (2005), The Pursuit Of Learning In The Islamic World, 610-2003, McFarland, p. 54, ISBN 0786419547 
  18. ^ Lawrence S. Cunningham, John J. Reich (2005), Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities, Thomson Wadsworth, p. 190, ISBN 0534582273 
  19. ^ a b c Karima Alavi, Tapestry of Travel, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University.
  20. ^ Adamson, Peter (2006), Al-Kindi, Oxford University Press, p. 17, ISBN 0195181425 
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ziauddin Sardar (1998), "Science in Islamic philosophy", in Edward Craig, Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 8, Routledge, pp. 561-5, ISBN 0415073103, <http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H016.htm>. Retrieved on 2 October 2008 
  22. ^ Sergienko, Alexander V. (2006), Quantum Communications and Cryptography, CRC Press, p. 3, ISBN 0849336848 
  23. ^ a b c d Ziauddin Sardar, Merryl Wyn Davies (2004), The No-nonsense Guide to Islam, Verso Books, pp. 87-8, ISBN 1859844545 
  24. ^ Will Durant (cf. Innovations in Islamic Sciences, Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation)
  25. ^ Turner, Howard R. (1997), Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction, University of Texas Press, p. 135, ISBN 0292781490 
  26. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica Article on al-Farabi
  27. ^ Philosophers: al-Fārābi
  28. ^ Abu Al-Nasr Al-Farabi: The Second Teacher
  29. ^ King, Anya (2008), "The Importance of Imported Aromatics in Arabic Culture: Illustrations from Pre-Islamic and Early Islamic Poetry", Journal of Near Eastern Studies (University of Chicago Press) 67(3): 175–89 :

    "the polymath historian al-Masşudi"

  30. ^ a b Hiram Woodward (2004), "Review of Indian esoteric Buddhism: A social history of the Tantric movement by Ronald M. Davidson", Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 35: 329–54
  31. ^ [1]
  32. ^ Charles F. Horne (1917), ed., The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East Vol. VI: Medieval Arabia, p. 90-91. Parke, Austin, & Lipscomb, New York. (cf. Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (973-1037): On Medicine, c. 1020 CE, Medieval Sourcebook.)

    "Avicenna (973-1037) was a sort of universal genius, known first as a physician. To his works on medicine he afterward added religious tracts, poems, works on philosophy, on logic, as physics, on mathematics, and on astronomy.

  33. ^ a b Shen Kua, Science and Its Times, Thomson Gale.
  34. ^ Turner, Howard R. (1997), Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction, University of Texas Press, p. 53, ISBN 0292781490 
  35. ^ "a...polymath".Omar Khyam, The Iconoclast, New English Review, 1 May 2007
  36. ^ Walter H. Maurer (1971). Review of Pramana-Naya-Tattvalokalamkara of Vadi Devasuri by Hari Satya Bhattacharya by Hari Satya Bhattacharya, Philosophy East and West 21 (1) p. 98–99.
  37. ^ John E. Cort (November 1999). Review of Hemacandra, R. C. C. Fynes, The Lives of the Jain Elders, The Journal of Asian Studies 58 (4), p. 1166–1167.
  38. ^ Avempace, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2007
  39. ^ Norman Calder, Jawid Ahmad Mojaddedi, Andrew Rippin (2003), Classical Islam: A Sourcebook of Religious Literature, Routledge, p. 166, ISBN 0415240336 :

    "The remarkable thirteenth-century polymath Nasir al-Din al-Tusi"

  40. ^ Carr, Brian (1996), Morals and Society in Asian Philosophy, Routledge, p. 9, ISBN 0700703454 
  41. ^ Nasir Al-Din Al-Tusi
  42. ^ S. J. Badakhchani, Nasir al-Din Tusi (1201–1274), Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  43. ^ Julie Scott Meisami, Paul Starkey, Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature: K-Z, Routledge, ISBN 0415185726 :

    "ibn al-Nafis was an important physician and polymath of the seventh/thirteenth century."

  44. ^ Dr. Abu Shadi Al-Roubi, Ibnul-Nafees As a Philosopher, Encyclopedia of Islamic World.
  45. ^ Brand, Peter; Lino Pertile (1999). The Cambridge History of Italian Literature. Cambridge University Press. ISBN.  "Leon Battista Alberti), more versatile than Bruni, is often considered the archetype of the Renaissance polymath." p. 138
  46. ^ Norman Calder, Jawid Ahmad Mojaddedi, Andrew Rippin (2003), Classical Islam: A Sourcebook of Religious Literature, Routledge, p. 83, ISBN 0415240336 
  47. ^ a b c Irfan Habib (1992), "Akbar and Technology", Social Scientist 20 (9-10): 3-15 [3-4]
  48. ^ Lacouture, Jean (1997). Jesuits: A MultiBiography.Counterpoint. p.189. ISBN-10: 1887178600
  49. ^ a b "Scientists Fete China's Supreme Polymath," by Richard Stone. Science, 2 November 2007, page 733
  50. ^ William Gervase Clarence Smith, Science and technology in early modern Islam, c.1450-c.1850, XIV International Economic History Congress, Helsinki, Finland, 21-25 August 2006
  51. ^ A. K. Bag (2005), "Fathullah Shirazi: Cannon, Multi-barrel Gun and Yarghu", Indian Journal of History of Science 40 (3), pp. 431-436.
  52. ^ Barfield, Owen A. (1999). A Barfield Reader. Wesleyan University Press. , p. 47
  53. ^ Findlen (ed), Paula (2004). Athanasius Kircher: The Last Man Who Knew Everything. Routledge (U. K.). ISBN. , p. 209: "the Jesuit polymath Athanasius Kircher"
  54. ^ Jehlen, Myra; Michael Warner (1997). The English Literatures of America,. Routledge. ISBN.  p. 667
  55. ^ Glenn Cross, Anthony (1997). By the Banks of the Neva: Chapters from the Lives and Careers of the British in Eighteenth-century Russia. Cambridge University Press, 474. ISBN 9780521552936. 
  56. ^ Chorley, Richard J.; Robert P Beckinsale (1991). The History of the Study of Landforms Or the Development of Geomorphology. Routledge. ISBN. : "Lomonosov was a true polymath—physicist, chemist, natural scientist, poet and linguist...."p. 169
  57. ^ Kennedy, Barbara A. (2006). Inventing the Earth: Ideas on Landscape Development Since 1740. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN.  "Jefferson, Thomas). Polymath and third President of the USA."p. 132
  58. ^ Rees, Nigel (2003). Cassell's Humorous Quotations. Sterling Publishing Company. ISBN.  p. 392. Note that Jefferson is identified as "American Polymath and President."
  59. ^ Newsome, David (1999). The Victorian World Picture. Cambridge University Press. ISBN.  "Coleridge was unquestionably a polymath, with a universal knowledge unequalled by any thinker of his day." p. 259
  60. ^ Elizabeth Campbell Denlinger (2005). Before Victoria: extraordinary women of the British Romantic era. Columbia University Press. ISBN. , p. 135: "Somerville was the most celebrated woman scientist of her time. A polymath, she wrote on astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, mineralogy, and geology, among other subjects..."
  61. ^ Mike Davis, City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles (Vintage: 1992).
  62. ^ a b A versatile genius, Frontline 21 (24), 2004.
  63. ^ a b Rabindranath Tagore, Time 100.
  64. ^ R.B. Russell, Tartarus Press.
  65. ^ Whitman, Alden (1972): "A World History by 42 Professors," The New York Times, July 18, 1972, p. 23: "Fifty years ago, the British polymath and amateur historian was able to compress the history of the world up to 1920 into one volume of 1171 pages weighing 3 pounds 3 ounces.... Now a somewhat similar book, concededly inspired by Well's, has been published. It is the work not of one man, but of 42."
  66. ^ Steer, Duncan (2003). Cricket: The Golden Age. Cassell illustrated. ISBN-X.  "Footballer, cricketer, politician and polymath C.B. Fry, now commander of a Royal Navy training ship" p.51
  67. ^ Prodigy
  68. ^ Malraux laid to rest in the Pantheon of heroes | Independent, The (London) | Find Articles at BNET.com
  69. ^ Howard Rheingold (2000). Tools for Thought: the history and future of mind-expanding technology. MIT Press. ISBN. , p. 66
  70. ^ Rebecca Goldstein (2005). Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Godel. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN. , p. 19
  71. ^ Brown, James Robert (1999). Philosophy of Mathematics: An Introduction to a World of Proofs and Pictures. Routledge. ISBN. , p. 51
  72. ^ a b Sengoopta, Chandak (2004), "A Passion for Diphthongs", History Workshop Journal Issue (Oxford University Press) 57(1): 263-270 [265-6], doi:10.1093/hwj/57.1.263 
  73. ^ Cox, Richard (2002). Encyclopedia of British Football. Routledge. ISBN.  p. 15
  74. ^ Brian Viner (2006-10-12). "Sporting polymath is a full-time post for which only obsessives need apply: It is hard to get the head round the idea that one man excelled in so many sports". The Independent. Retrieved on 2006-10-12.: "I read a book by Mick Collins called All-Round Genius: The Unknown Story of Britain's Greatest Sportsman. It is about a man called Max Woosnam, who...toured Brazil with the famous Corinthians football team in 1913... won an Olympic gold medal for tennis, played golf off scratch, scored a century at Lord's, and made a 147 break on the snooker table."

[edit] Further reading

v • d • e
Topics in alternative education
Education Portal
Página espejo de la Wikipedia
Directorio de Enlaces Directorio dmoz Directorio espejo dmoz Pedro Bernardo