Tag: Polymathy
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What makes a polymath, a genius, or a man who knows everything?
JMS PearceHull, England, United Kingdom The question posed in this title is of course imponderable and ridiculous, but nevertheless fascinating. Until the Enlightenment (c. 1750–1800), an intellectual “Renaissance man” could have read most of the important books printed. He might well have known most of the medical, scientific, and mathematical facts of the day, and…