Polymaths: What sets them apart

Have you ever wondered why some people can do it all? They can do well in science, math, history, music, dance, etc. etc. You name it, they can do it. How do they get so good at almost everything? Well, people like these are called polymaths. There is no special science behind the polymathic mind. But it sure is interesting how one person can dabble in so many things all at once.

There is much debate around the exact definition of the word ‘Polymath’. The word literally translates to a person with “many learnings” but we don’t know how many “learnings” will make you a polymath. But scholars argue that having accolades in two unrelated domains does make you a polymath.

There have been many such people in history who we should remember for their contribution to their respective fields.

Hypatia

Source: https://openclipart.org/detail/319076/hypatia-of-alexandria

Known as Hypatia of Alexandria, the first polymath in our list was born way back in either 370 CE or 350 CE. We don’t for sure because her life hasn’t been documented properly. But weirdly, her death has. We know more clearly about Hypatia’s death than about the rest of her life.

Hypatia was a highly respected academic working in the University of Alexandria. She was proficient in astronomy, mathematics and philosophy, and was so intelligent that even contemporary hostile Christian writers couldn’t deny her excellence.

Unfortunately for this awesome lady, a rumor spread which claimed that Hypatia was the reason why there was discord in Christianity. As a result of this, in 415 CE, Hypatia was attacked, dragged and then killed by a troop of inhumane fanatics who were led by Peter the Reader.

Leonardo da Vinci

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leonardo_da_Vinci._Photograph_by_E._Desmaisons_after_a_print_Wellcome_V0027541EL.jpg

Born in 1452 CE, Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most well-known people in history. His legacy has lived on through his work- his two most famous paintings the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper are evergreen and loved by many even now.

Da Vinci was an Italian architect, artist, scientist, and engineer. He had a very simple approach towards working. We are all familiar with how he used to keep notebooks in which he compiled notes full of his findings. One notebook was for his observations of nature, while the other was for writing about everything manmade. While many know about his work in arts and humanities, many are unaware ofw his contributions for the development of technology, anatomy, botany, astronomy, and cartography. He has done way too much to be noted.

And he has left behind great advice (and the journals). One of the best amongst these is about time- “Time stays long enough for anyone who will use it.”

Emilie Du Chatelet

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/iip-photo-archive/51917980241

The Marquise Du Chatelet-Lomont, Émilie le Tonnelier de Breteuil didn’t live a long life. But the mammoth amount of impact this lady had on the field of natural philosophy, physics, ethics, theology, and mathematics in just 43 years of living can’t be taken for granted.

Married to Marquis Florent-Claude de Chatelet-Lomont, Emilie Du Chatelet met Voltaire after her husband’s death who became her life-long companion and they eventually shifted to Cirey. This place had been made into a laboratory for scientific instruments. Growing up, she had also got access to libraries but only ever got to study advanced mathematics in her late twenties.

Her work had been focused on natural philosophy- the kind which Leibniz, and Newton worked on- and was commended by Voltaire himself. They had worked together and she had provided much help when Voltaire had written his Eléments de la philosophie de Newton which was released in 1738. For many years, people thought there was one more chapter in this book- one which the Marquise had written! This was her “Essai sur l’optique”.

She had also written “Lettre sur les ‘Eléments de la philosophie de Newton’”, Institutions de physique (The Foundations of Physics), Discours sur le bonheur, Examens de la Bible, and The Foundations of Physics.

Benjamin Franklin

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Benjamin_Franklin._Wellcome_L0017902.jpg

Benjamin Franklin is one of the most important figures in American history. We all know him by many names but arguably the most famous of these is the title of ‘Electricity Man’. He sounds like a superhero this way. Not that he wasn’t one. Franklin was a diplomat, scientist, politician, writer, printer, businessman, and inventor.

Other than working as a writer and publisher, Franklin had tried his hand at science and done his famous kite experiment. After this, he had decided to become active in politics and worked as a clerk who made the postal service more efficient. He is also the founder of the American Philosophical Society, the University of Philadelphia, and a subscription library.

There are a lot of impressive inventions to his name as well. He invented the odometer, glass armonica, lightning rod, bifocal eyeglasses, franklin stove, and American political cartooning. And if all of this wasn’t enough, he also helped draft the Declaration of Independence and- out of nowhere- composed a string quartet too! Phew.

Bertrand Russell

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bertrand_Russell,_Bestanddeelnr_909-1508.jpg

The founder of Modern Analytic Philosophy, Bertrand Russell has been compared to Voltaire many times because of his proficiencies in writing in the field of ethics, metaphysics, rhetoric, literature, religious studies, mathematical logic, analytical philosophy. He is well known for his paradox, theory of types, and for getting the Nobel prize for literature in 1950.

His brilliance and the creativity with which he wrote is still unmatched. The only mathematician to have received a Nobel prize for literature, Russell is undoubtedly the polymath of the 20^th century. He is known, especially, for his single-minded devotion and focus on what he wants to do. This is characteristic of the brilliance he possessed. Add to this the fact that he has authored over 125 books and published numerous papers, studies, monographs, and newspaper articles!

Rabindranath Tagore

Source: By Generalstabens litografiska anstalt – Various, e.g. [1], published in 1914 in Sweden in Les Prix Nobel 1913, p. 60, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1226545

If you go to India or Bangladesh and ask even a child about Rabindranath Tagore, they will know who this figure is. His work is so influential that it has shaped multiple disciplines in India as of now.

Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore was a poet, reformer, artist, composer, writer, philosopher, and playwright. He is the writer of the National Anthem of India and Bangladesh both. Founder of Shanti Niketan in India, Tagore wrote extensively and beautifully. His paintings are just as thought provoking and can found in national galleries in India, adorning the walls. His most popular work includes his poems especially Gitanjali, his anthems for India and Bangladesh, Rabindra Sangeet, Amar Shonar Bangla, and Ghare-Baire.

A man full of talents, Tagore was also a reformer and participated in the freedom movements whenever he got the chance. He had once been knighted by the British but refused the honour some years later as a form of protest against the British colonization of India.

He is the last person we have talked about on this list but certainly not the least. Everyone in this list has provided tons of knowledge and wisdom to the world. Their legacy will always keep on living through their contributions and the inspiration they instill in the future generations.

Resources

Robson, D. (2019, November 18). Why some people are impossibly talented. Bbc.com; BBC. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20191118-what-shapes-a-polymath—and-do-we-need-them-more-than-ever

Hepatia

Macquire, K. (2024). World History Encyclopedia. Worldhistory.org. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2639/hypatia-of-alexandria-the-female-mathematician-ast/
Rist, J. M. (1965). Hypatia. Phoenix, 19(3), 214–225. https://doi.org/10.2307/1086284

Leonardo da Vinci

Johnson, S. (2017, June 20). 3 Brilliant Polymaths, and the Advice They Left Behind. Big Think; Big Think. https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/historys-greatest-polymaths-and-the-advice-they-left-behind/
Veltman, K. H. (2008). Leonardo da Vinci: A Review. Leonardo, 41(4), 381–388. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20206632
Cartwright, M. (2020, September 7). Leonardo da Vinci. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Leonardo_da_Vinci/

Emilie Du Chatelet

Detlefsen, K., & Janiak, A. (2014). Émilie du Châtelet (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford.edu. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/emilie-du-chatelet/
GROSHOLZ, E. (2013). Candles in the Dark: Émilie du Châtelet and Mary Somerville [Review of SEDUCED BY LOGIC: Emilie du Châtelet, Mary Somerville and the Newtonian Revolution, by R. Arianrhod]. The Hudson Review, 65(4), 669–676. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43489293

Benjamin Franklin

BBC – History – Benjamin Franklin. (2014). Bbc.co.uk. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/franklin_benjamin.shtml
Fuller, J. (2023, October 20). What Did Benjamin Franklin Invent? Much More Than Bifocals. HowStuffWorks; HowStuffWorks. https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/famous-inventors/10-ben-franklin-inventions.htm
Grenander, M. E. (1972). Benjamin Franklin’s String Quartet. Early American Literature, 7(2), 183–186. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25070569

Bertrand Russell

Kantha, S. S. (2011). Bertrand Russell (1872–1970): calibrating the scientific productivity of a polymath. Current Science, 100(2), 262–263. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24073059
Irvine, A. D. (2020). Bertrand Russell (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford.edu. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/russell/

Rabindranath Tagore