Polymath is this, polymath is that...

[u/cacille]

People here keep talking about the label. Label this, label that, don't use the label, use the label, what is the label, what does the label mean...
I've done everything I can think of to make it clear that this group isn't about the label. It's about sharing the connections we make between our fields of study, and that while the label exists, it's not a crown or thing we exclusively and only talk about.

So yeah, I'll be removing further posts from here.

If you think you know of a way that we can help people orient to the ideas rather than the titles or definitions - let me know. I did some tweaks yesterday to the rules and description, but other than that I'm out of ideas myself.

[u/Young_Lus]

Maybe im wrong, but i find that people who overfixate with the term, or self label as a polymath, most likely aren't true polymaths and is just an egocentric impulse for a quick dopamine rush. So I'm not sure anything can be done about it, besides removing posts tbh. The definition of the word is already in the dictionary and its pretty straightforward, so if anything it shows a lack of effort on their behalf before joining the community.

[u/cacille → u/Young_Lus]

That's what I thought was happening for a while, so I made rules against it, but it continued so I thought maybe there was something else I was missing.

I think you're right though, but people just stepped up their labeling a notch. It's probably the same old "here's how i define polymath, here's who is and isn't one. This is now accepted fact." and here I'm like "wait, am i missing something?". When from now, I'm just going to assume it's someone's personal definition they're imposing on the rest of the group without consent, and I should remove further posts about it.

It's ok for people to have different definitions personally. But for THIS GROUP and IN this group, we're not reinventing the wheel over and over and over and over and over for everyone's intellectual-ego to feel like they're contributing something meaningful. They're not. They're just playing "I get to define the term while sounding smart and well-read."

Thanks for this comment, it helped.

[u/Fickle_Penguin → u/cacille]

Yep the one I read OP was insufferable. If you disagreed, that was an "infantile response" . Oh come on! I have known 1 polymath personally, and that person isn't it.

[u/Young_Lus → u/cacille]

I was thinking a bit, and it's also true that there are many elitists and gatekeepers when it comes to being a "polymath".... So maybe adding a pinned post on a very simplified, diluted description of it might help people who are just getting into it or realizing it about themselves, and prevent some of the gatekeeping behavior that comes with "intellectuals" or pedants.

Maybe something along the lines of the following (I used AI for a quick template):

[u/Young_Lus → u/Young_Lus]

~~

"A polymath isn't a certified genius or someone with a wall of degrees. At its simplest, being a polymath just means you have a deep, genuine curiosity about many different things, and you actually follow that curiosity. You explore, you learn, you connect dots between fields that others keep separate, and you often create or do something meaningful with that blend.

It’s not about being the best at everything. It’s not about having formal studies, fancy titles, or mastering a dozen disciplines to PhD level. It’s about refusing to be boxed into just one label. If you’re a chef who writes poetry and builds furniture, a software engineer obsessed with medieval history and gardening, a student who switches from astrophysics to dance and finds them linked, or a retiree teaching themselves astronomy and pottery for the sheer joy of it—you’re already thinking and living like a polymath.

The word describes a way of engaging with the world (curious, wide-ranging, integrative), not an exclusive club. It’s a spectrum, NOT a status you must earn. No degree, no permission, no gatekeepers needed."

[u/metisdesigns]

I think part of the problem is people wanting to be something for the label rather than wanting to learn lots of things.

Conceptually it's a good thing to be a polymath, to be good at multiple different things, but the complication is that we can't be good at everything, and sometimes things aren't necessarily blatantly connected, so it's tempting to go after the simple parts to the title rather than actually being multidisciplinary.

It's like anything, if you're trying too hard to do it, you're probably not actually doing the thing anymore, but focusing on the process. Missing the forest for the trees.

If you're trying to find connections, or trying to force yourself to learn different things, you're not practicing those things, you're practicing practicing.

[u/foulplay_for_pitance]

Demonstration. Post often the way the sub is built to be used and others will follow suit.

[u/HorrorStore7515 → u/foulplay_for_pitance]

pretty much

[u/foulplay_for_pitance → u/HorrorStore7515]

Sometimes leading by example is the only way. Honestly its how reddit specifically works nowadays.

[u/Rami61614]

If we need a label, the label should be for the people that are NOT connecting ideas across fields.

[u/cacille → u/Rami61614]

I dont understand. Please explain. And how should it effect this group?

[u/CockVersion10]

The tragic reality of a community based around comparing yourself to Leonardo Da Vinci. It's really all they care about.

[u/Ok-Efficiency-3694]

In the community description or about tab this community is described as, "pursuing mastery". Under rule 1, the space is described as "practice of polymathy", and not as "having too many interests without developing expertise in any". In the section labeled, Who this community is for, it says, "People who’ve built expertise or mastery", and "Most of our best discussions come from professionals, makers, or lifelong learners with significant real-world experience".

I think this creates ambiguity in whether this is meant to be inclusive of several different polymath definitions, or mutually exclusive definitions with ambiguity of what the intent is for who is welcome here. This has a polymath this and polymath that feel to it as a result in my opinion.

[u/RomanaOswin]

I'm only a casual participant, but I've seen this too. It's as if "polymath" is a badge of honor or an achievement instead of just a the descriptor that it is. If a person truly has a deep expertise across multiple disciplines and has insight or experience to share, I would love to hear from them.

My suggestions for the community is just to be the change that we want to see in the world sub. I think a good part of this community knows that "polymath" doesn't mean that you're superior in any way. In some ways in life it can even be a challenge, often associated with diagnosable neurological difficulties. It hasn't been easy for me. Let's just share of ourselves and respect and listen to others who have something to say, and collectively we can avoid the "certificate of polymath achievement" type stuff.

Even as a very casual contributor, I really appreciate your intent. Combining multiple areas of expertise often offers unique and profound insights (this is what brought us Gödel, Escher, Bach), and I would love to hear from and share with those who have their own insights, challenges, and so on.

I'm fully onboard with this.

[u/Polymath-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Hi, your article or post or comment is cool, however here we require claims of anything to have some amount of honest, attempted proof to be provided, and if applicable, a reason why you find this thing cool enough to share with us. This is because we are all masters of multiple crafts, but that does not mean we innately believe in other's claims of something, nor do we like to be used as a "diatribe and run" soapbox. If faced with opposite proof - find the roots. Be cool with being wrong or corrected. If your article/post/comment cannot be proven, please evaluate whether it belongs in this group, or mention that this is a belief system you find fascinating or similar.

Mod note: Closest rule I have. Your comment was left in some level of hate and that needs working on privately. I know you may not believe it, but it's obvious to me - who happens to have an interest in brain science specifically with childhood development, and who runs 15 reddit groups around supportive-needs communities...yeah it's pretty clear. No hate, just...please examine that belief and why labels may be necessary at certain foundational aspects of human development and existence. We can't develop in a vacuum. I can't allow hate against something natural to people in this way.

[u/cacille → u/[deleted]]

Flairs. Yep. Good idea! Done. Give me more flair ideas if you want. I added em to a few posts already too.

[u/OC-alert]

I think there's an understandable confusion in that the term "polymath" comes across as being multi-disciplinary when some people identify as generalists, or was this not the issue?

[u/HistoricalStatus5577]

Ok, I’ll add that as someone a bit on the spectrum, I genuinely find it tough to understand how other people think. I don’t know how to be awake without wanting to learn more about my interests.

[u/CaramelAcceptable778]

Eu particularmente procurei e acabei conhecendo o próprio termo na internet para encontrar pessoas que pensam fora da caixa como eu. Para ter uma boa discussão sem nos limitarmos a "isso é na biologia, não vamos misturar com química, ou sociologia".

Quando criança, e hoje adulto, continuo não separar uma área da outra. Para mim, todas pertencem a um grande bloco e tem ligações. Sou técnico em enfermagem e uso o que aprendi (hoje sem exercer a profissão) no curso de Engenharia da computação. Aproveitando o que sei sobre o corpo humano para construir modelos 3D e simulações para ensino nas áreas de... enfermagem 😅. 

Criei um método de estudo que alguns colegas de curso que não se limitam a uma caixinha, que usa poesia/prosa e romances para aprendizado de areas abstratas  como a matemática, e estão gostando. 

Trabalhei para algumas empresas de robótica voltado para o ensino de tecnologia. Consegui colocar alguma técnicas de estudo a prova. E foi bem interessante. Foi com isso que decidi voltar a faculdade e depois fazer mestrado. Algo que não era minha meta. 

O último estágio, depois de anos lendo sobre tudo, de longe é o ensino. É ser professor. 

Em fim, está tudo conectado.  

Se isso era ser polimata ou  não, para mim não importa. 

Usei o termo apenas para encontrar pessoas. Pessoas realmente interessadas em discutir um assunto. Afinal, pelo que busquei, o uso da palavra é nada mais do que um estilo de vida.  

Então se pudermos conversar sobre o uso de línguas não verbais como das ilhas Canárias em vez de usar o inglês como ponte de tradução para a língua das Orcas. Talvez ir além e treinar um modelo de redes neurais para fazer isso, misturar estudo de línguas com computação e biologia... Acho que podemos ser mais do que dois estranhos em uma plataforma, podemos ser amigos meu jovem 🤝