How to Become a Polymath

How to Become a Polymath

       Now that I have outlined why we need more polymaths in our society in my past blog, “Why We Need Polymaths”, this blog will go through the steps on how to become a polymath.

         As I mentioned in my last blog, a polymath is someone who is either well-versed or interested in many subjects. But because this is from the perspective of the perennial philosophy, we must take into account the entire structure of the human: we are made up of a body, mind and soul and when one part of our inner Trinity is out of balance- whether it be through too much or a lack of activity- human beings will suffer in many ways. If his/her mind excels over the body and soul, the body will be unable to carry out the principles that the intellectual has built up and without a connection to the soul, one will aimlessly wanderer through ideas without any sensitivity towards their metaphysical qualities and thereby abuse their mind by worshiping their thoughts as idols; if the mind and body are undernourished, the soul won’t have any space to grow and the love that is begging to come out and spread through words and actions will remain trapped within the corpse of the human frame; and if the body exceeds the soul and mind, the body will take form to any feeling that comes it’s way and lead a road towards disaster, attachment and therefore suffering. To have all parts of one’s trinity aligned with each other, in working order and nourished by its respected neighborhoods, is the metaphysical framework that your journey as a polymath will take place from.

 

 

          But, another prerequisite awaits before we talk about becoming a polymath: motives. Why do you want to become a polymath? Is it for money? Success? Because if your intention is to just make yourself more qualified for a job- or salary- you will never become a polymath. The road of the polymath was never travelled with utilitarian motives nor with a materialistic out-look: it was travelled not just for the love and accomplishment that comes with learning and obtaining expertise in a subject, but with a deep reverence and appreciation for God having given you the ability, resources and opportunities to become one. Because the polymath is a rare species in our society that is desperately needed, you carry the burden of responsibility on your shoulders. But the burden of work is only work to those without genuine passion and enthusiasm for learning.     

          Once you thought out your motive(‘s) for becoming a polymath, one must next need two things: a goal- or group of goals- that work towards the end of your polymathic journey, as well as a daily and/ weekly schedule that will put you on the path. And because there is plenty to discuss when considering the body, mind and soul, let’s start with the body.

          It shouldn’t have to be argued that the body is not only an important piece of the polymath, but a prime one which symbolizes the quality of both the mind and soul. For example, if you are fatigue, have weak muscles and have a poor immune system, this will show up in your spiritual and mental life by causing you to let go of your spiritual discipline and by letting go of your mental activates which will eventually lead to depression and illness. By taking a thirty or sixty minute walk a day, controlling the amount of sugar and carbs that you eat, and getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night, you will not only build a solid foundation for your spiritual and mental livelihood, but it will keep your mind sharp enough for both intellectual sensitivity and spiritual mindfulness. One does not need to be an athlete in order to be a polymath: many people underestimate the simple but beneficial power of daily walks. Not only will these daily walks serve as moments for spiritual centering and mind- easing, but release any stress you may have during your day. As the great Thoreau said, walking is an art.

 

Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvium Man(1492)

 

          Much of what was said for the body should be the same for the soul: in the same way infrequency in daily walks/exercising will create laziness and only make it harder to continue with your plan, being lazy in your spiritual discipline- whether it be prayer, mediation, etc.- will affect your overall being the entire day. If five or ten minutes when you wake up and or before you fall asleep is what works, then by all means stick with that plan. It takes on average 3 weeks for a habit to become second nature so, hang in there.

 

 

 

           And now when it comes to the mind, a short preface is necessary: when discussing learning, one should keep in mind that there is a certain hierarchy when it comes to learning- a Platonic hierarchy. In the same way we have different forms of love on earth and yet they are all different incarnations of the same Love, all fields of knowledge from the mundane of cooking to the more high-brow of psychology all emanate from a common Transcendent Truth. According to Frithjof Schuon, Reason and Intellect are not to be confused with each other. Reason is merely that which is determined by the Kantian categories of the mind of time and space, and therefore have to do with what reason can deal with only: knowledge. Knowledge is information that changes with the times, has different levels of relevancy to different individuals or societies and which, despite them being copies of the Transcend Truth, they can still serve as bridges and mirrors upon which to be connected to the Truth both physically and mentally.

 

Frithjof Schuon

 

          The Intellect- on the other hand- is The Truth or Logos which is inside the mind, from which reason is its lowly yet humble assistant. The Intellect is the uncreated mirror which reflects the Platonic blue-print of reality and therefore, connects one to The Good, The One, The Other. Wisdom is to The Intellect as what knowledge is to reason. The imagination, lying between The Intellect and reason, becomes both the factory for producing the copies of the higher forms from which produce all of our physical perceptions, and also turns inwards to reflect the luminous splendor of the Intellects Wisdom. This is significant for polymaths to understand: because The Truth is One and it’s copies are many, most of your learning as a Polymath will be dealing with the usage of reason rather than The Intellect- knowledge rather than wisdom. However, that is not to say that the polymath will get a secular education: there is no such thing as secular learning as long as one has their simultaneous connection to The Truth because when you have your focus on it as your exploring its forms, the following will happen:

          You will see connections upon connections between subjects you thought could never have any connection what-so-ever. And yet, this is the skill that one will develop as you learn. Patterns recognition is what will fill fuel your enthusiasm and sense of awe for both learning and God. And this leads me to my final point: one must believe that any subject you are either ignorant about or apathetic about, will eventually be loved and mastered. The simple and best way to get interested in a foreign topic is take what you already love, and use it to find connections between it and your new subject. If one connection can be made- and there will be many more- that can be the seed from which grows your fascination and furthering down the polymathic path.

 

          When it comes to the subjects one should study, it is totally up to you. But, one should have a balance of studying between subject matters both in the sciences and arts. Further, one should learn from multiple mediums: books, magazines, articles, documentaries, YouTube videos, conversations with friends, you get the picture. By staying balanced as well as active in many fields, it will strengthen not just your ability to recognize patterns and learn, but will strengthen you in every field you plan to study. Just as no part of the brain works alone despite its particularized role or as the strength of one muscle group will support another, being strong in math will help you in music, philosophy, science, paintings, poetry and so much more.

          Because it can be hard to create goals as well as a schedule out of thin air, I will share my goals and daily/weekly schedule to help give you guys some ideas of what your polymathic path could look like:

         

      Trinitarian Polymathics

                             Daily and Weekly Schedule  

A.  Soul- meditation (through-out-day: Zen); yoga and prayer (both in morning-daily).

B.   Mind- Read 1 book in: art, music, philosophy/religion, history/sociology, science/math, film, etc. - weekly).

-         Read 4-5 books of fiction (novels, novellas, short-stories, poems, plays, etc. - weekly).

-         Writing while listening to music

1.    Left hand(6-8 lines daily)

2.    Right hand(either a poem, story, essay or free-write- daily)

-         Languages Study

1.    Reading( one article per lang. daily)

2.    Vocab review(10-15 minutes per lang. daily)

3.    Listening to music in languages(throughout day)

-         Guitar and Piano

1.    Monday-Friday: 15 minutes of scales, chords, exercises and theory/reading)

2.    Sat-Sun: Free-for-all (Playing songs).

-         Drawing(15- minutes: sketching, exercises(lines, shapes, shading)- daily

-         Film: watch one or two movies on weekend (from a self-created list).     

C.   Body

-         Gym six days a week(aerobics 3 days a week)

-         Walk at least two hours a day (while reading).

-         Sleep (10/11pm- 6/11am).

 

 

 

Long Term Goals

A.  By September

-         Read all classics and popular literature(been working on a list since last summer)

-         Become Fluent in French and Italian; competent in German and Arabic

-         Watch all classic/popular films on list (about 50).

-         Read all books on lists for: math/science, art, history, music, philosophy, religion, film, etc.)

-         Gain 15 pounds

-         Make a YouTube channel

B.   Beyond

-         Become conversational in Modern Greek, Spanish, Chinese and Japan

-         Become intellectually competent in Latin and Attic/koine Greek and Hebrew

-          Learn about photography and video editing

-         Publish poetry, stories, novels or essays

-         travel(Egypt, Italy, France and Greece) once enough money is saved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                  Even though these goals seem extreme, as a polymath, one must never be content: one must push one’s boundaries, constantly becoming more aware of what you don’t know and eventually filling the gaps. I believe it’s important to keep lists of things to read/see/do because, once something is accomplished and it’s crossed of, it’s gives oneself a measurement of one’s progress and will thereby inspire you to keep going. In addition, the mind should not just be consuming information: you should also be involved in productive activies such as playing an instrument, painting, writing, ect.

Ones goals may never end. You will always find more things to add to your lists and more subjects to learn because, the journey of a polymath is a life-journey, filled with embarrassment, naivety and confusion. But once in a while, a great thing will be accomplished such as finally building a good habit or learning a skill that will help you in all your polymathic activities and the judgments of others won’t mean anything anymore. You will be able to conquer all the libraries, videos, sights and sounds of the world.

Even though history has a long record of polymaths both east and west, the journey of the polymath can be a lonely one in a society that worships the specialist. But imagine a day where everyone can be competent in many intellectual languages and become fluent in many perspectives of life. It will be a renaissance unlike any other seen on the planet: Atheist and Theist, Artist and Scientist, Gardener and Philosopher will be able to converse about each other’s world-view and due to maturely, humbleness and openness of each person, bridges can be built and relationships can be made, transcendent of culture, language and profession.

Let this be the day where the polymaths will influence a new generation of educators to bring artistic, spiritual and scientific innovation. But in case it doesn’t happen tomorrow, remember: the passion that guided you every day was enough to change Your world: not only yourself, but the enthusiasm you’ve spread to your neighbors, friends and loved-one’s. If all that is possible by polymaths is to change the lives’ of a small amount of individuals in a large world, that is enough. Maybe it will become enough for something larger, one day.

Good luck and may all your learning bring you joy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Why We Need Polymaths Today

Today, we live in a world of specialization. When we enter university, we are expected to choose a major whereby we obtain a degree in one field-or obtain certification for a trade-, telling our future employer that we have the requirements-i.e. the expertise- to do the job. This idea may sound old, but it is actually quite recent. During the Renaissance, professions as well differing fields of knowledge began to explode from out of the constraint of the trivium- grammar, logic and rhetoric, and quadrivium- number, geometry, music and cosmology- of the middle-ages. Initially, the Liberal Arts expanded the seven fields to include history, classical literature, poetry and Greek, but it ended up not only lessening the interest of the sacred sciences- like Alchemy- but created an unbalanced obsession with modern materialistic science.  

When the enlightenment came onto the scene with the complete purging of the old guild system, new ideas of education began to spring in conjunction with the spread of laissez-faire capitalism. The perfect analogy to describe what it was, would be the assembly line: imagine kids grouped according by age are sitting on a conveyor belt and being pushed along inside a factory. Standing in specifically assigned positions are teachers and professors whose unique job is entirely unlike every other’s job. As the kids approach the factory workers, they do their duty: filling equations, formulas, definitions, diagrams, graphs, maxims, dates and deadlines inside their heads. Those who fail to meet the standards of the factories requirements, are either shipped to another factory or are labelled as ‘incapable of proper instruction’. But to those who pass each of the factory workers and have their heads, ‘fixed’, that’s where the real fun starts: each child- now adult- enters a larger factory- which is really nothing else than a much larger version of where they just were. The instructions at the entrance are as follows: ‘Welcome to the Real factory. In here you will have the choice of many positions around our conveyor belt- from doctor, lawyer, politician, engineer, police officer, to scientist. There is no worry about whether you can speak the language of your other colleagues or not: your purpose in life is to play your part in society by the profession you choose and to fulfill the needs of others as they come down the conveyor belt. You must increase the speed at which our factory is working. We cannot survive without each and every one of you. There is too much competition from other factories on this planet for us to rest. And if we ever entertain one thought, one dream to suddenly stop, all of our endeavors since time immemorial will mean nothing.’

 

 

 

What’s funny about this analogy- other than the fact that it is true- is when the instructions say, ‘… by the profession you choose…’ To make it clearer, imagine a parent shopping with their kid, giving them the option between buying three different shirts the kid definitely doesn’t want. The parent thinks giving them a choice will make them willing to give into what the parent wants his or her kid to wear. Unfortunately, they are right. When the kid makes their choice, they really had no choice to begin with: their choices were chosen for them. And that- in sum- is the life that we live now and it what was formulated first by the British philosopher Thomas Hobbes and eventually slightly changed and implemented by John Locke, Jean-Jacque Rousseau and Thomas Jefferson. It is called the social- contract.    

The second important element of the analogy is when it says, “There is no worry about whether you can speak the language of your other colleagues or not”. In other words, it is perfectly fine if you remain completely ignorant about other subjects which may very well-gasp- open your mind. To do so will jeopardize your employment, infect your expertise and tempt you away from your profession. Nothing can be further from the truth. In this article, I argue why we need polymaths before the complete segmentation and slavery of our society is complete.

First of all, what is a polymath? According to many definitions, a polymath is either someone who knows a lot about many different subjects, or someone who has many interests. It is really another word for a Renaissance man/woman. Many famous figures both east and west have been famous polymaths: Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Francis Bacon, Aristotle, Goethe, Leibniz, Isaac Newton, Al- Ghazzali, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, the list goes on. Jefferson alone was an agriculturalist, anthropologist, architect, astronomer, botanist, classicist, diplomat, educator, ethnologist, farmer, geographer, horseman, inventor, lawyer, lexicographer, linguist, mathematician, meteorologist, musician, naturalist, numismatist, paleontologist, philosopher, political philosopher, scientist, statesman, violinist and writer. The list is extremely impressive.

 

 

After reading it, many may be tempted to think that figures such as Jefferson were innately geniuses and it would be nearly impossible for anyone to reach that level of mastery. I argue the opposite: because the term ‘genius’ is very subjective and means different things to different people, one should not worry about whether one is a genius or not. In fact, even people who have a talent tend to either not to be interested in their talent or are arrogant about it and due to abandoning any activity from their talent, lose it. What is more important than talent is passion: the passion that overrides laziness, self-doubt and self-diagnoses. The passion that in other eyes of other is insanity. In the words of Friedrich Nietzsche, “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

But as I argue, anyone can hear the music. The melodies all of fields and subject are different voices of the same song, singing in harmony. Not only do they complement each other, but they in fact inhabit each other’s melody if one listens carefully. Let’s take mathematics for example. Dreamers are stressed by their too abstract ideas and many scientists hate their fancying with deductive reasoning. But consider: the history of mathematics, the beauty of the Fibonacci sequence in the natural world, music theory, the golden- ratio used in painting and architecture, fractals used on computers, Arabesque, modern logic, iambic-pentameter and quantum physics. All involve mathematics and if anyone wants to have a complete knowledge of poetry, psychology, art, religion, computers, philosophy, history, science, eventually, one will need to be acquainted with mathematics. And after one delves into the world of math, you will not only become more knowledgeable, but will learn to appreciate and maybe love math by the fact that you were able to make a connection to something foreign with something that you already loved. Seeing the hidden connections between seemingly different fields of knowledge, is the joy of being a polymath.

 

Fractals are patterns which repeat themselves infinitely at many levels.
They can be found not only in leaves, but in tress, rivers, coastlines,
mountains, clouds, hurricanes and sea shells. 

 

 But this ‘bridging’ between other fields is not only what curious people should be doing in their spare time: this is what we as a society should be doing at large. We are faced with many problems in the world such as terrorism, global warming, disease and prejudice of many kinds. For example, to think that we can help the conflict that has been going on for at least a decade now in the middle-east with just politics is heading- and has been- for disaster. It is impossible to assume that we can make things better there and understand what is happening, without knowledge of Arabic literature, the Arabic language, Islam, Islamic history, the differing schools of Islamic law, Islamic art and Islamic science. Such problems require not just experts or collaboration among experts of differing fields, but citizens of the world who are cultured and educated about all the factors that come into play. If we are all still dedicated to the idea of progress, it cannot be possible without polymaths.

 

Arabesque is a form of Islamic Art based on geometrical designs which
reveal the underlying mathematical beauty of reality.

 

But more alarming- and more deadly of a problem- is the segmentation that has taken place post-renaissance between the arts and the sciences. Today, this tension is symbolized by the ‘conflict’ between religion and science: we have many individuals who believe that religion and science have never had and can never have any contact with each other. It shows complete historical illiteracy because it fails to take into account many of the figures of the scientific revolution- Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton- who believed in God and the entire Islamic Golden Age with mathematics, medicine, astronomy, anatomy, chemistry, for which God was their main reason for pursuing knowledge. What the Muslims did between 800 and 1200 A.D had an inseparable influence on our Renaissance. And if we can make people better understand the relationship between science and religion, such a relationship can also be understood between science and the arts.

Many would say we are far from the renaissance and that it is impossible for things to ever return to that period or for us to improve. But there have been some improvements: there are many blogs, articles and YouTube videos dealing with Polymaths and how we need more of them in our society (I recommend watching this Tedtalk by Ella Saltmarshe:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViwkkpROxp4).

In Eric R. Kandel’s fascinating book published in 2012, “The Age of Insight”, Eric explores how in the cultural center of Europe around the early 20^th century, Viennese scientists from Freud, Schnitzler and artists from Gustav Klimt, Oscar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele influenced one another in each other’s field and both dealt with aesthetic and psychological questions from the nature of the unconscious, to how people perceive art physiologically, psychologically and emotionally. Professor Kandel is well-versed in Neurobiology, Behavior and Art History and this book not only proves his mastery in more than one field, but demonstrates the amazing things can happen when collaboration occurs between the arts and sciences.

 

 

In one of Aldous Huxley’s great Lectures from 1959 titled, “Integrate Education”, Huxley argues that we need a pontifex maximus or a bridge maker, who can bring all the fields of knowledge together: “…what we need to do is to arrange marriages or rather to bring back into their originally married state, the different departments of knowledge and feeling which have been arbitrarily separated and made to live in their own monastic cells, in isolation” (The Human Situation, 7). But, we should not rely on another person to make the change that needs to be made: we can become well versed in numerous subjects and whether we decide to become a renaissance man/woman or a specialist, we should never falter to see the connections that lie within all the fields that exist.

 

 

I do not deny that we have made enormous gains through the work of specialists. Specialists have in many ways allowed for deep investigation, ingenious innovation and new perspectives. But imagine what can be done, when all the melodies of the world, can sing in harmony with each other.