Modern-Day Rennaissance Man

[jtur88]

An "internationally qualified" airline pilot means he would be IATA approved and allowed to be (and was) at the controls of an international commercial flight landing at any airport in the world including JFK.

Galbraith was, in fact, challenging us to name a skier over 6'6" tall who was better than he was. It is doubtful there was one---it was not an empty boast.

I tried to limit my list to men who had achievements that required a considerable amount of time and effort to master.

[cpg35223]

You know, Paul Johnson wrote a great cultural history titled, "Birth of the Modern," which really covered the intellectual growth of the West between 1815 and 1830. His contention? That due to the explosion of knowledge, it became impossible for one person to really fully grasp to range of human knowledge. Today? Even more so. The best one can hope for is to be really, really good at a handful of things.

[zaicheg]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

The best one can hope for is to be really, really good at a handful of things.

I.e. "jack of all trades - master of none." A swiss knife won't replace you a good saw, a good chef's knife, a pair of scissors.

[John Walmsley]

The first name that came to mind was Peter Ustinov. As he said, he was conceived in Russia and born in London, but considered himself a man of the world. He was an actor, director, writer, journalist raconteur, and bon vivant. He spoke several languages and had many interests.

I would add Carl Sagan, Issac Asimov and Richard Fenyman as likely candidates.

[jtur88]

Wikipedia mentions Andre Malraux, John Von Neumann, and Herbert Simon as recent "Polymaths". All are now deceased.

[John Walmsley]

Originally Posted by jtur88

Wikipedia mentions Andre Malraux, John Von Neumann, and Herbert Simon as recent "Polymaths". All are now deceased.

Have there been some renaissance women? Certainly, Hypatia, the brilliant Alexandrian mathematician; Voltaire's mistress, Emilie du Chatelet, who discovered a flaw in one of Newton's laws, and Marie Curie deserve honorable mention. There are probably several more recent ones.

[John Walmsley]

This is a brief note about the person who is said to be the last true Renaissance Man or polymath "to walk the earth." Like Leonardo Da Vinci, perhaps the original model for the Renaissance Man, Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) seemed to encompass all knowledge of his age. In his book, The Know-It-All, A.J. Jacobs said it best: "When Goethe wasn't busy explaining how to pronounce his name, he had time to be a critic, journalist, lawyer, painter, theater manager, statesman, educationist, alchemist, soldier, astrologer, novelist, songwriter, philosopher, botanist color theorist, mine inspector, and issuer of military uniforms." As Jacobs said, Goethe was "like a Renaissance Man with access to amphetamines." Indeed, his accomplishments almost make Leonardo look like a slacker.

[albion]

For a modern renaissance man what about Hugh Laurie, actor, best selling author, musician & athlete.