A lot of the "strings" seem expansions of others or superfluous. For example, it lists "Physicist, philosopher, author, mathematician" for Penrose. I'm not so sure that theoretical physics and maths are different enough to qualify you as a polymath, and "author" falls out of being a good physicist; he's not exactly writing fiction on the side.

My thoughts exactly. Taking this criteria, thousands of people can be listed, author just lists people he heard of. Not like any of them are a new Leo.

But yes, even in specialization age there are talented people who are successful in more than one discipline. There are many thousands of them. But "successful" and being world's best is different - there are what, zero people in this list who can be considered top of the crop in more than one listed area?

I don't agree with you. Read "Shadows of the Mind", your opinions on him might change.

I don't think being a Polymath means you have to know mutually exclusive stuff. I don't that's possible in the sciences anyway.

A Polymath is someone who knows a lot about a lot and whose expertise fills a number of significant subject areas.

I know that there are lots of people who'll fit the bill.

Who do you recommend as a living example of a modern polymath?

Juli Crockett[1] - singer-songwriter, playwright & director [just had a play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival], blogger, philosopher [currently writing her doctoral thesis], and retired professional boxer[3-0]. And she's a lot younger (and prettier) than any of those listed in the article.

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juli_Crockett

Jonathan Miller - Medical doctor, neuropsychology research, opera, theatre & TV director, wrote and performed in 'Beyond the Fringe', Sculpture, TV presenter, author.

(Not only did he do these things - he excel(ed/s) at them)

* Anthony Julius - Author, Literary Critic, Attorney

* Donald Knuth - Mathematician, Typographer, Musician, Philosopher

* Rudy Rucker - Mathematician, Science Fiction Writer

* Alex Kozinski - Federal Judge, Essayist, Humorist

* Murray Gell-Mann - Physicist, Mathematician, Linguist

One more addition * Von Neumann - Mathematician, Economist,Game Theorist, Computer Scientist.

Eric Raymond perhaps? - Programmer, Musician, Media personality, Martial artist, Economist, Mathematician, Mystic, Essayist, Author

The man does have a way of 'inflating' what he does but these are things he claims to be.

you have to be good at those things to count

Point taken. :)

How about bigot? Does that count?

Von Neumann isn't exactly living. If you want to include recently dead Richard Feynman would be tops.