W4P2: Orgins of Polymathy

The idea of polymathy, maintaining intellectual pursuits across several distinctly different disciplines, was largely introduced during the renaissance. During this period of time, artists and scientists like Leonardo Da Vinci were encouraged to explore interdisciplinary, and largely successful due to the amount of information there was yet to be discovered during that time period.

In modern society, it has been made increasingly difficult to emulate the successes of the most famous polymaths. This is due to a shift towards careers and education systems that favor specialization. The industrial revolution popularized the "assembly-line" mentality in which each individual is to become a specialist in a very particular niche, instead of gathering a range of skills in different areas.

However, there are still quantifiable benefits to polymathy in today's world. Interdisciplinary learning teaches important problem-solving skills, and also allows its participants to hone their creativity. Complexity theory claims that modern problems are inherently interdisciplinary and will require interdisciplinary solutions, thus there is still a significant role for polymaths in the workforce. On top of that, polymathy can to an extent be taught. People begin to specialize themselves in school, as a result of curriculum that pushes students to excel academically rather than explore areas like the arts. Although some students are inherently more curious, and naturally interdisciplinary learners, varying the subjects taught in school and emphasizing interdisciplinary learning has been proven to increase polymathy in students.