Very insightful. This article finally helps me understand what a polymath is without some AI answer or what’s available online. The connection to India and women polymaths is also inspiring. MW you’re a smart man! I’m in Asia and I think I’m your first comment. It’s finally clicking.
I'd love to see a bit more on polymathy vs. systems thinking. As a systems engineer, I was specifically trained to look across disciplines and find the connections and overlaps. At first blush, polymathy looks like much the same, but extended beyond engineering to all of life. That said, I suspect that's simplistic.
Great observation, Ed. To me, systems thinking is a bit more targeted, applied polymathy, though the terms I learned here, Medha (don't just consume, retain and integrate), and Samanvaya (seek coherence), feel like a strong manifestation of creating the connection to contribute to a result. A polymath is a bit like my grandfather, always collecting tools for his garage/workshop. He had more than he could ever use or need, some of them probably provided little value, but you always trusted that he could find the right combination that would work to solve the problem. I'd love to hear what others think about this interesting intersection.
I like how you phrased that, and that was my initial thought as well. I think you hit on something nuanced there too in “Syustems Thinking” because many systems engineers get stuck in the same trap as other disciplines of specialization instead of seeking samanvaya or coherence.
Very insightful. This article finally helps me understand what a polymath is without some AI answer or what’s available online. The connection to India and women polymaths is also inspiring. MW you’re a smart man! I’m in Asia and I think I’m your first comment. It’s finally clicking.
I’m glad to have you here and excited to keep making those connections.
I'd love to see a bit more on polymathy vs. systems thinking. As a systems engineer, I was specifically trained to look across disciplines and find the connections and overlaps. At first blush, polymathy looks like much the same, but extended beyond engineering to all of life. That said, I suspect that's simplistic.
Great observation, Ed. To me, systems thinking is a bit more targeted, applied polymathy, though the terms I learned here, Medha (don't just consume, retain and integrate), and Samanvaya (seek coherence), feel like a strong manifestation of creating the connection to contribute to a result. A polymath is a bit like my grandfather, always collecting tools for his garage/workshop. He had more than he could ever use or need, some of them probably provided little value, but you always trusted that he could find the right combination that would work to solve the problem. I'd love to hear what others think about this interesting intersection.
I like how you phrased that, and that was my initial thought as well. I think you hit on something nuanced there too in “Syustems Thinking” because many systems engineers get stuck in the same trap as other disciplines of specialization instead of seeking samanvaya or coherence.
I haven’t done one explicitly on that topic, but you’re right, there is significant overlap. Or, at least, there should be!!
Hear hear!