What Is a Polymath? A Guide for Modern Britain

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Ever met someone who can paint a masterpiece, write a cracking bit of code, debate philosophy, and still find time to bake a perfect Victoria sponge? You might have stumbled upon a modern-day polymath. It’s a fancy word, but the idea is simple: a person who knows a great deal about a great many things.

Forget the old saying, “a jack of all trades is a master of none.” A true polymath is a master of several. They don’t just dabble; they dive deep. Think of Leonardo da Vinci, who was as brilliant at painting the Mona Lisa as he was at designing flying machines. Or Hedy Lamarr, the glamorous Hollywood film star who also co-invented the technology that underpins the Wi-Fi we use today. These weren’t people who just had a few hobbies. They were driven by a relentless curiosity that pushed them to excel in completely different fields.

In a world that often tells us to “find our niche” and stick to it, the idea of being a polymath might seem a bit old-fashioned, even impossible. We’re encouraged to become specialists—the expert heart surgeon, the go-to tax accountant, the web developer who only works with one type of code. Specialising is safe, sensible, and often pays the bills.

But what if we’re missing a trick? What if branching out, exploring different passions, and connecting ideas from wildly different areas is the secret to true innovation and a more fulfilling life? This guide is your deep dive into the world of the polymath. We’ll explore where the idea came from, meet some of history’s most impressive all-rounders (including a few brilliant Brits), and figure out whether it’s still possible to be a da Vinci in the 21st century. We’ll even look at how you can start flexing your own polymath muscles. So, grab a cuppa, get comfy, and let’s explore what it truly means to be a modern-day Renaissance man or woman.

What Exactly Is a Polymath? Unpacking the Definition

At its heart, a polymath is an individual whose knowledge spans a significant number of different subjects, and who is able to draw on that complex body of knowledge to solve specific problems. The word itself comes from the Greek polymathēs, meaning “having learned much.”

But it’s more than just being a walking, talking encyclopedia. A polymath isn’t just someone who’s aced a pub quiz. The key difference lies in depth and integration.

Dabbler vs. Specialist vs. Polymath

Let’s break it down. Most of us fall into one of two camps: dabblers or specialists.

The Dabbler (or Jack of All Trades): This is someone who has a go at lots of different things but doesn’t necessarily achieve a high level of skill in any of them. They might know a few chords on the guitar, have a basic grasp of French, and enjoy a weekend pottery class. It’s a fantastic way to live a rich and varied life, but it’s not polymathy. There’s breadth, but not much depth.
The Specialist: This person has gone deep—very deep—into one specific area. Think of a particle physicist who has dedicated their life to understanding neutrinos, or a historian who is the world’s leading authority on 14th-century pottery. They have incredible depth, but in a very narrow field.
The Polymath: A polymath sits in a special place between these two. They have the breadth of the dabbler but the depth of the specialist. They don’t just try things; they pursue them with enough focus to become highly skilled or knowledgeable. The magic happens when they start connecting the dots between their different fields of expertise.

A polymath painter who understands anatomy can create breathtakingly realistic figures. A computer scientist with a background in music might develop an algorithm that composes beautiful symphonies. It’s this synthesis of knowledge—the ability to see patterns and connections that specialists, blinkered by their own field, might miss—that is the polymath’s superpower.

Key Traits of a Polymath

So, what makes a polymath tick? While they are all unique, a few common threads run through their personalities and approaches to life.

Insatiable Curiosity: This is the big one. Polymaths have a childlike wonder about the world. They are constantly asking “Why?” and “How does that work?” Their interests aren’t confined to a single subject; they are fascinated by everything.
A Love of Learning for Its Own Sake: They don’t just learn to pass an exam or get a promotion. They learn because they genuinely love the process of acquiring new knowledge and skills.
Exceptional Self-Discipline: Becoming an expert in multiple fields doesn’t happen by accident. It takes dedication, focus, and a lot of hard work. Polymaths are masters of managing their time and energy to pursue their varied interests.
Creative Thinking: They are brilliant at thinking “outside the box” because, for them, there is no box. Their minds can leap between different disciplines, spotting novel solutions to tricky problems.
Resilience and a Willingness to Be a Beginner: To master a new field, you have to be comfortable with not knowing anything. You have to be willing to look silly, ask basic questions, and fail. Polymaths embrace the learning curve over and over again.

In short, being a polymath is less about having a freakishly high IQ and more about a mindset—a way of approaching the world with open-minded curiosity and a relentless drive to understand.

A Stroll Through History: The Great Polymaths of the Past

The idea of the polymath isn’t new. In fact, for much of human history, it was the ideal. Specialisation is a relatively modern invention, born out of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of complex professions. Before that, the most respected thinkers were often the ones with the broadest knowledge.

The Golden Age: The Renaissance Man

When you hear the word “polymath,” your mind probably jumps to the Italian Renaissance. This period, from the 14th to the 17th century, was a cultural explosion in Europe. It was a time of rediscovery, with scholars, artists, and scientists looking back to the classical knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome.

The ideal of this era was the “Renaissance Man” (Uomo Universale), a person who could do it all—paint, sculpt, write poetry, design buildings, understand anatomy, and philosophise.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519): The undisputed king of the polymaths. We know him best for masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But his notebooks tell a different story. They are filled with incredible inventions and scientific studies. He designed bridges, tanks, and even a helicopter, centuries before they became a reality. He dissected human bodies to understand anatomy, studied fossils, and made important discoveries in optics and hydrodynamics. His art was informed by his science, and his science was inspired by his artistic eye.
Michelangelo (1475–1564): While we remember him primarily as a sculptor (David) and painter (Sistine Chapel ceiling), Michelangelo was also a superb architect (he designed the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica) and a gifted poet. He saw art and design as interconnected disciplines.
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528): A German artist who travelled to Italy and brought the Renaissance spirit back with him. He was a master painter and printmaker, but he also wrote influential books on mathematics, geometry, and proportion, effectively becoming a theorist as well as a practitioner.

This was an age that celebrated the limitless potential of the human mind. The belief was that by studying a wide range of subjects, from art and literature (the Humanities) to mathematics and astronomy, a person could become truly well-rounded and achieve a state of intellectual grace.

The Enlightenment and Beyond

The spirit of the polymath lived on through the Age of Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries, a time when reason and science were championed.

Isaac Newton (1643–1727): One of Britain’s greatest minds. We know him for his laws of motion and universal gravitation, which laid the foundations for classical physics. But he was also a brilliant mathematician who developed calculus. And he spent a huge amount of his time on less “scientific” pursuits, like alchemy (an early form of chemistry) and theology, writing more about religion than he did about science.
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790): An American founding father who was the definition of a multi-talented individual. He was a leading scientist who made crucial discoveries about electricity (remember the kite experiment?), a brilliant inventor (bifocal glasses, the lightning rod), a respected diplomat, a sharp-witted writer, and a political theorist.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832): A German writer whose literary works, like Faust, are world-famous. But he was also a scientist who made contributions to botany and developed a theory of colour that challenged Newton’s. He was a statesman, a theatre director, and a critic. For Goethe, art and science were two sides of the same coin, both ways of trying to understand the world.

The Victorian Era: A British Polymath Powerhouse

The 19th century was a time of immense change, with the British Empire at its peak and the Industrial Revolution in full swing. This era produced a remarkable number of British polymaths who were driven by a desire to understand and categorise the world.

William Whewell (1794–1866): You might not have heard of him, but Whewell was a giant of his time. He was a Cambridge University academic who made contributions to mechanics, physics, geology, astronomy, and economics. He was also a priest and a philosopher of science. In fact, he’s the person who invented the word “scientist.” Before him, they were called “natural philosophers.” He also coined terms like “physicist,” “anode,” and “cathode.”
John Ruskin (1819–1900): One of the great thinkers of the Victorian age. He started as an art critic, championing the painter J.M.W. Turner. But his interests grew to include architecture, geology, botany, and political economy. He was a fierce social critic who argued that industrialisation was destroying not just the landscape but also human society. He believed that good art and a good society were deeply intertwined.
Thomas Young (1773–1829): An English physician and physicist described as “The Last Man Who Knew Everything.” He made vital contributions to our understanding of light with his double-slit experiment, which proved light behaved as a wave. He was also a linguist who helped decipher the Rosetta Stone and its Egyptian hieroglyphs. He also made discoveries in vision, mechanics, and music.

These figures show that even as the world was becoming more complex, the ideal of the polymath—the person who could bridge the gap between the arts and the sciences—was still alive and well. But the tide was beginning to turn.

The Rise of the Specialist: Why Did Polymaths Become Rare?

If polymaths were so brilliant, where did they all go? Why does the idea of a modern-day Leonardo da Vinci seem so unlikely? The answer lies in a few major shifts in how we organise knowledge and society.

The Information Explosion

The single biggest reason is the sheer amount of information in the world today. In Leonardo’s time, it was possible for one person to read almost every important book that had been written. An educated person could realistically get their head around the major concepts in science, art, and philosophy.

That’s simply not possible anymore. The sum of human knowledge is now so vast and is growing so quickly that it’s a full-time job just to keep up with developments in one tiny sub-field of a single discipline. Think about medicine. A few centuries ago, a doctor was just a doctor. Now, we have cardiologists, neurologists, dermatologists, oncologists, and even sub-specialists within those fields, like a paediatric cardiologist who only treats children with specific heart conditions. To become an expert, you have to narrow your focus.

The University System and Professionalisation

The way we educate people has also changed. The modern university system, which took shape in the 19th century, is built around departments and disciplines. You study history or physics or English literature. You get a degree in a single subject. This system is designed to produce specialists.

Alongside this, professions became more formalised. To become a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer, you need specific qualifications and licenses. This requires years of specialised training, leaving little time for pursuing other interests to a high level. Society began to reward deep expertise in one area over broad knowledge in many. The career ladder favours the specialist.

The Cultural Shift: “Stick to What You Know”

Over time, our culture started to value specialisation more and more. We became suspicious of the “jack of all trades.” We want our brain surgeon to be someone who only does brain surgery, not someone who spends their weekends writing poetry.

This creates a kind of social pressure to pick a lane and stay in it. Dabbling in other areas is seen as a hobby, something you do in your spare time, not a serious part of your professional identity. People who express interest in multiple, unrelated fields are sometimes seen as unfocused or indecisive. This is a huge change from the Renaissance, where being multi-talented was the ultimate status symbol.

The Economic Argument

Finally, there’s a strong economic incentive to specialise. Specialists can often command higher salaries. The market pays for expertise, and it’s easier to prove your expertise in one narrow domain than in several broad ones. Companies hire for specific roles—they need a marketing manager, not a marketing manager who also understands 18th-century French poetry.

So, the mountain of knowledge got too high to climb, the educational and professional paths got narrower, and the cultural and economic rewards all pointed in one direction: specialise, specialise, specialise. The age of the polymath seemed to be over.

The Modern Polymath: A New Breed for a New Century

Just when it seemed like the polymath was a relic of the past, something interesting started to happen. In our complex, interconnected, and rapidly changing world, the specialist mindset is starting to show its limits. And a new kind of polymath is emerging.

They might not be painting masterpieces and designing helicopters, but they are applying the same principles of cross-disciplinary thinking to solve the biggest challenges of the 21st century.

Why the World Needs Polymaths Again

The problems we face today—climate change, pandemics, economic inequality, the ethics of artificial intelligence—are incredibly complicated. They can’t be solved by one type of expert working alone.

Climate change isn’t just a problem for climate scientists. It involves economics (how do we transition to a green economy?), politics (how do we get international agreements?), engineering (how do we build better renewable technology?), and psychology (how do we persuade people to change their behaviour?).
Artificial intelligence isn’t just for computer scientists. It raises profound questions for philosophers (what is consciousness?), lawyers (who is responsible if an AI makes a mistake?), artists (can AI create art?), and sociologists (how will AI change our society?).

The biggest breakthroughs are now happening at the intersections between different fields. This is where the polymath thrives. Their ability to speak the language of different disciplines allows them to act as a bridge, connecting ideas and people who wouldn’t normally interact. They can see the bigger picture that the deep specialists might miss.

Who Are the Modern Polymaths?

Today’s polymaths might not be as famous as Leonardo da Vinci, but they are all around us. They often have what’s called a “T-shaped” skillset. They have deep expertise in one core area (the vertical bar of the ‘T’), but they also have a broad range of knowledge and skills in other areas (the horizontal bar).

Let’s look at some examples, including some well-known Brits.

Stephen Fry (born 1957): A true national treasure. Fry is an actor, comedian, writer, and presenter. But he’s also a deeply intelligent and knowledgeable person who has written books on Greek mythology, the history of language, and his own struggles with mental health. He hosted the famously difficult quiz show QI for years, demonstrating a remarkable breadth of knowledge. His work is a testament to a mind that is constantly curious about everything.
Dr. Hannah Fry (born 1984): No relation to Stephen, but another brilliant British polymath. She’s a mathematician and professor at University College London. Her core expertise is in the mathematics of cities. But she’s also a hugely successful broadcaster and author who can explain complex mathematical ideas to a general audience through TV shows and books. She connects maths to everyday life, from love to crime to health, showing how patterns can be found everywhere.
Elon Musk (born 1971): A controversial figure, but undoubtedly a polymathic thinker. He has deep expertise in physics and engineering, which he has applied to create groundbreaking companies in completely different industries: electric cars (Tesla), space exploration (SpaceX), and artificial intelligence (OpenAI, xAI). He works by applying fundamental scientific principles to problems in different domains.
Donald Glover (born 1983): Also known by his stage name Childish Gambino. Glover is a successful actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, rapper, singer, and DJ. He has won top awards in both music (Grammys) and television (Emmys). He moves seamlessly between different creative worlds, and his work often blends comedy with serious social commentary, showing a mind that can synthesise different cultural inputs.

These individuals show that you don’t have to be an expert in everything. The modern polymath is more likely to be an expert-generalist: someone who combines one or two areas of deep expertise with a broad curiosity and a functional knowledge of many other fields.

The Serial Polymath

Another modern type is the “serial polymath.” This is someone who dives deep into one field, masters it, and then moves on to a completely different one.

Think of someone who has a successful career as a lawyer for 20 years, then retrains as a chef and opens a restaurant, and then in their 60s, starts learning to code and builds an app. They are applying the same principles of deep learning and mastery to different domains sequentially throughout their life. This is becoming more common as people live and work for longer, and the idea of a single “job for life” disappears.

How to Cultivate Your Inner Polymath: A Practical Guide

So, you’re inspired. You want to break out of your specialist box and start exploring the world with the curiosity of a polymath. The good news is, you can. It’s a mindset and a set of habits that anyone can develop. Here’s how to get started.

1. Nurture Your Curiosity

This is the foundation of everything. Make a conscious effort to be more curious.

Ask “Why?” like a five-year-old: Don’t just accept things as they are. When you come across something you don’t understand, look it up. Fall down the Wikipedia rabbit hole. Watch a YouTube documentary about it.
Read widely and voraciously: Don’t just read books about your own field. Pick up a book on a topic you know nothing about—black holes, the history of Japan, the art of bread-making. Read fiction and non-fiction, poetry and science journals.
Explore diverse media: Listen to podcasts on different subjects. Watch documentaries. Visit museums and art galleries. Expose your brain to new and varied ideas.

2. Embrace the Discomfort of Being a Beginner

This is often the hardest step. Our egos don’t like being bad at things.

Pick a new skill to learn: Choose something completely unrelated to your job or main hobbies. If you’re an accountant, try learning a musical instrument. If you’re a graphic designer, take a course in basic carpentry.
Focus on the process, not the outcome: The goal isn’t to become a world-class concert pianist in six months. The goal is to enjoy the process of learning, to feel your brain making new connections.
Find a good teacher: Learning from an expert can speed up the process and help you overcome the initial hurdles where most people give up.

3. Make Time for Deep Learning

Being a polymath isn’t just about skimming the surface. You need to dedicate focused time to your interests.

Schedule learning blocks: Treat your learning time as seriously as you treat your work. Block out a few hours in your calendar each week for “curiosity time.” Turn off your phone and eliminate distractions.
The 100-Hour Rule: A popular idea is that it takes around 100 hours of deliberate practice to become reasonably competent at a new skill. That’s just 20 minutes a day for about 10 months. It’s achievable.
Master the fundamentals: Before you can get creative, you need to understand the basic rules of a discipline. Learn the foundational principles of whatever you’re studying, whether it’s music theory, colour theory in art, or the basic grammar of a new language.

4. Look for Connections and Synthesise Your Knowledge

This is where the real magic happens. Actively try to connect what you’re learning in different fields.

Keep an “idea journal”: Write down interesting things you’ve learned from different sources. Every now and then, read through it and see if you can spot any surprising patterns or links.
Explain it to a friend: Try to explain a concept from one field using an analogy from another. For example, “An ecosystem in nature is a bit like a market economy…” This forces your brain to build bridges between ideas.
Work on a “synthesis project”: Start a project that forces you to combine your skills. If you’re learning to code and play the guitar, try to build a simple website that teaches people guitar chords. If you’re interested in history and cooking, try to recreate a meal from a specific historical period.

5. Build Your “T”

Don’t abandon your core expertise. Your specialism is the anchor for your polymathic explorations. It’s the trunk of your ‘T’. Keep developing your main skill or profession, but at the same time, consciously work on broadening your horizons—building the crossbar of your ‘T’.

Being a modern polymath isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about being endlessly curious, embracing learning, and making connections that nobody else can see. It’s about building a unique toolkit of skills and knowledge that allows you to be more creative, more adaptable, and ultimately, more human in an increasingly specialised world. It’s a journey, not a destination, and it’s one that’s open to us all.