European Renaissance - Renaissance Men
Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were considered polymaths during there time and inspired the term “Renaissance Men.” The European Renaissance spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. As I discussed in my blog on the Information Renaissance, there is exponential more knowledge in existence today and I, for one, do not believe we can take it all in during one lifetime.
Thus, I wonder, is it possible to become a polymath today in the sense that these two men of the European Renaissance were “Renaissance Men.” There is so much knowledge in the world today. Some might say this simply means that more knowledge is available to be obtained and, thus, it is easy to become a polymath, should that be one’s goal. However, if we look at this concept from a percentage perspective, I don’t believe anyone can be nearly as knowledgeable as men such as they during their own time. Comparatively, they possessed a vast amount of knowledge to that of their fellow man.
Can this be done in today’s society? I find this subject important, because the world today says we must become lifelong learners and great problem-solvers. Thus, if we could all become polymaths in a modern sense, we might be one-step closely to meeting our modern/current needs. However, today’s polymath would not be simply a container of knowledge, but, rather, an applier of knowledge, a creator of effective, useful, needed knowledge. Can we do this? Is it possible?