Does "experts" like Da Vinci with knowledge over multiple fields are necessary for the present age?

ByEvan Long

Contrary to experts, people who are familiar with many fields and have various knowledgeA scholarI call it. He has remarkable achievements in all fields such as music, architecture, mathematics, anatomy and astronomyLeonardo da VinciAlthough it can be said to be typical, BBC explains whether experts are necessary in modern times where emphasis is placed on being "expert".

Does the world need polymaths?
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-40865986

According to Stefan Collini, a professor of literature and history at the University of Cambridge, the idea that "researchers should be specialized in specific fields" has been studied at university in the first half of the 19th century Thing. From this time researchers began to be aware of the universities they belonged to and what they majored and began to label themselves.

However, in the past era, there existed experts who left results in several fields. The word "polymath", which means a learned person, is derived from the words "polus" and "mathe" in the Greek era. In the 17th century, during the Renaissance era when Da Vinci was active, the word polymath is used and the word "Renaissance man" which is the same meaning as polymath gradually comes to be used.


To the Renaissance man who was active in the 18th centuryThomas YoungThere is a person called. Young writes by writer Andrew RobinsonThe Last Man Who Knew EverythingAs a book titled "A man who knew all" is a person who was familiar with many fields. Wikipedia has become a "physicist", but in the field of medicine studies astigmatism and perception of color, optical studies rediscover the interference phenomenon and claim the wave theory of light. Initially we used the term energy to introduce that concept and devised a Young Tuning which is one of keyboard instrument tuning methods.

In addition to this,Stephen Leicock, Biochemist'sJoseph Needham, Of a composerHildegard-von Bingen, Poet'sRabindranath TagoreAnd others are known as learners.

However, in recent years, it is necessary to learn a large number of knowledge to learn, so it takes several years to master one field, so making a big contribution to many fields is not realistic. As a result, today's learners, like curators of the day, are curious as curious and tend to be workaholic, but rather than "to contribute to various fields" the role of "useful for people as a treasure trove of knowledge" It will be.

Also, according to Professor Collini, there is a scholar who has a role as a communication specialist in Western society. In addition, having a wide knowledge of various fields, it is necessary to have a scholar who plays a role of connecting information across multiple fields.

As one of contemporary expertsJared DiamondMr. is mentioned. Mr. Diamond is an evolutionary biologist, a physiologist and a biogeographist but he is active as a nonfiction writer and as a scholar the theory to explain how the civilizations of the Eurasian continent and North Africa conquered other civilizations While preaching, "Guns · pathogens · ironWe publish a bestseller called "Best seller". Mr. Diamond recognized himself as an expert, explaining that he wanted to know about experts. "People with a lot of knowledge are curious, there is an urge to" to know ", so knowledge is attached" "I am strangely greedy to know" I will.

ByStewart Butterfield