What is a Polymath?

 

Polymath refers to a way of thinking, and has multiple definitions.  A polymath isn't a personality precisely, but it can strongly affect the personality due to the way one thinks.  

 

On the average, most people think in general terms, somewhat on a linear basis.  They examine something, they draw a conclusion.  They tend to have a single, primary interest or specific hobby:  they fish, they like football, photography, weaving.  Most people tend to focus on singular things.  It helps keep life orderly.  Society is structurally optimized for specialization.

 

The polymathic mind however, is naturally built for synthesis. A polymath has a wide range of interests which they tackle with equal zeal.  This isn't multi-tasking (though it can take that form).  It is engaging in multiple tasks with enthusiasm.  Polymaths tend to jump in with both feet and sometimes seem ungrounded, when in reality they are grounded in several areas at once. 

 

One of the strongest signs / traits of a polymath is thinking in patterns.  A polymath will tend to absorb vast amounts of information in diverse areas, storing such internally and discerning patterns where the average person would see none.  A polymath can take seemingly unrelated data and arrive at an accurate conclusion that others may find overly complex or unconnected.  Because of this it can be difficult for polymaths to relate to society, because society in general doesn't think in the same way, on the same level, or discern things the way a polymath does.   This often results in "The Curse of the Obvious Connection": when a polymathic mind sees what seems obvious to them, but few others can discern the same convergence of patterns or identify with polymathic thought.

 

Polymaths tend to get along well with other polymaths, because they "speak the same language" and can see similar patterns.  People sometimes describe polymaths as "strange", "intelligent", "a little odd", "insightful", "brilliant" and "weird".  Sherlock Holmes was a top-level polymath.  His brother Mycroft was even moreso... but better socially adjusted and balanced than Sherlock.  There are different levels and types of polymath.

 

The Difference Between Collecting Facts and Synthesizing Systems

Many people accumulate trivia, but a true polymath accumulates frameworks. The real manifestation of polymathy isn't just knowing a lot of random things; it's recognizing that a structural rule in biology applies equally well to a problem in economics or mechanical design.

 

The Exhaustion of Curiosity 

There is a burden to this way of thinking and lifestyle. When curiosity won't leave you alone, the mind is rarely quiet. It can be a fascinating burden, but a burden nonetheless.  Insomnia is common.  In younger years "always being on the run, doing something" is part of that insatiable curiosity.  This can take years, even decades to overcome.  The polymathic mind can be a compulsive one. 

 

This Website

Now that you understand to an extent what a polymath is, you will perhaps understand the method in which this website is written and designed.  I've had over seven decades to collect information.  Pattern recognition is at its peak.   In regular society this might be called wisdom.  I call it "insatiable curiosity that won't ruddy leave me alone".   

 

The articles here examine patterns, realities, observations and insights that many people never think about.  To me these things are clearly visible.  To my friends... not so much. Which may be why I have chosen to put these observations in writing, on a blog site, for whomever it may benefit. I hope you find these meanderings / opinions / insights to be of some use. 

 

-- Pathfinder