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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.




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