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The Polymath: Unlocking the Power of Human Versatility
Every human is born with multifarious potential. Why, then, do parents, schools and employers insist that we restrict our many talents and interests; that we 'specialise' in just one?
We've been sold a myth, that to 'specialise' is the only way to pursue truth, identity, or even a livelihood. Yet specialisation is nothing but an outdated system that fosters ignorance, exploitation and disillusionment and thwarts creativity, opportunity and progress.
Following a series of exchanges with the world’s greatest historians, futurists, philosophers and scientists, Waqas Ahmed has weaved together a narrative of history and a vision for the future that seeks to disrupt this prevailing system of unwarranted ‘hyper-specialisation.’
In The Polymath , Waqas shows us that there is another way of thinking and being. Through an approach that is both philosophical and practical, he sets out a cognitive journey towards reclaiming your innate polymathic state. Going further, he proposes nothing less than a cultural revolution in our education and professional structures, whereby everyone is encouraged to express themselves in multiple ways and fulfil their many-sided potential.
Not only does this enhance individual fulfilment, but in doing so, facilitates a conscious and creative society that is both highly motivated and well equipped to address the complexity of 21st century challenges.
We've been sold a myth, that to 'specialise' is the only way to pursue truth, identity, or even a livelihood. Yet specialisation is nothing but an outdated system that fosters ignorance, exploitation and disillusionment and thwarts creativity, opportunity and progress.
Following a series of exchanges with the world’s greatest historians, futurists, philosophers and scientists, Waqas Ahmed has weaved together a narrative of history and a vision for the future that seeks to disrupt this prevailing system of unwarranted ‘hyper-specialisation.’
In The Polymath , Waqas shows us that there is another way of thinking and being. Through an approach that is both philosophical and practical, he sets out a cognitive journey towards reclaiming your innate polymathic state. Going further, he proposes nothing less than a cultural revolution in our education and professional structures, whereby everyone is encouraged to express themselves in multiple ways and fulfil their many-sided potential.
Not only does this enhance individual fulfilment, but in doing so, facilitates a conscious and creative society that is both highly motivated and well equipped to address the complexity of 21st century challenges.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2019
148 people are currently reading
2379 people want to read
About the author
Waqas Ahmed
1 book47 followersWaqās is considered a world authority on multi-disciplinary thinking. His work spans several fields including art, science and international affairs.
He is currently Artistic Director at The Khalili Collections – one of the world’s great art collections – and simultaneously completed his postgraduate studies in Neuroscience at Kings College London, where he researched multi-disciplinary approaches to the treatment of chronic pain. Previously, Waqās was diplomatic correspondent at FIRST Magazine, where his exclusive interviews included Presidents and Prime Ministers worldwide. He was also the editor of Holy Makkah, which received praise from UNESCO, the Commonwealth and the Vatican. Born and raised in Britain, he has since lived in several countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia and has degrees in Economics (BSc, SOAS) and International Relations (MSc, LSE).
Waqās is author of the internationally acclaimed book The Polymath (Wiley 2019) and founder of the DaVinci Network, the global movement committed to unlocking the many-sided potential of humans worldwide. He recently curated the Official Opening Celebrations of the 500th Anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci at the National Gallery.
He is currently Artistic Director at The Khalili Collections – one of the world’s great art collections – and simultaneously completed his postgraduate studies in Neuroscience at Kings College London, where he researched multi-disciplinary approaches to the treatment of chronic pain. Previously, Waqās was diplomatic correspondent at FIRST Magazine, where his exclusive interviews included Presidents and Prime Ministers worldwide. He was also the editor of Holy Makkah, which received praise from UNESCO, the Commonwealth and the Vatican. Born and raised in Britain, he has since lived in several countries across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia and has degrees in Economics (BSc, SOAS) and International Relations (MSc, LSE).
Waqās is author of the internationally acclaimed book The Polymath (Wiley 2019) and founder of the DaVinci Network, the global movement committed to unlocking the many-sided potential of humans worldwide. He recently curated the Official Opening Celebrations of the 500th Anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci at the National Gallery.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 15, 2019
This is a challenging book, in multiple senses of the word. It's a dense read, full of references to individuals from all around the world and throughout recorded history. Sometimes a single paragraph will support a point with references to the implications of multiple philosophers and incorporating the ideas of another few polymaths. There is an amazing amount of material to lead the reader off into additional explorations.
It's also a personal challenge, making the case for polymathy in a specialist world. Despite the social and professional barriers to the polymath, there are advantages, and this book makes the case for the reader to take up the challenge. On a societal level, the book challenges us to change the world to encourage the development of more polymaths, because the problems we face now don't lend themselves to reductionist solutions.
I'm giving this book five stars despite its flaws, because it's a rich addition to the library that I expect will merit return visits and contemplation. I appreciate that the examples go so far afield from the usual assortment of Western greats. Humanity is more interesting than that, and The Polymath provides many names of interesting people I haven't seen elsewhere. The challenge is the structure of the book, which consists of very long chapters and would benefit from a little more structure. As it is, I think there's a model in there, but I have to go back and extract it myself.
This is going on the shelf next to The Neo-Generalist: Where You Go Is Who You Are in a section that I hope will continue to grow. For those of us who resist finding and settling into a single niche, it's great to see such interesting and challenging works to explore this way of thinking.
It's also a personal challenge, making the case for polymathy in a specialist world. Despite the social and professional barriers to the polymath, there are advantages, and this book makes the case for the reader to take up the challenge. On a societal level, the book challenges us to change the world to encourage the development of more polymaths, because the problems we face now don't lend themselves to reductionist solutions.
I'm giving this book five stars despite its flaws, because it's a rich addition to the library that I expect will merit return visits and contemplation. I appreciate that the examples go so far afield from the usual assortment of Western greats. Humanity is more interesting than that, and The Polymath provides many names of interesting people I haven't seen elsewhere. The challenge is the structure of the book, which consists of very long chapters and would benefit from a little more structure. As it is, I think there's a model in there, but I have to go back and extract it myself.
This is going on the shelf next to The Neo-Generalist: Where You Go Is Who You Are in a section that I hope will continue to grow. For those of us who resist finding and settling into a single niche, it's great to see such interesting and challenging works to explore this way of thinking.
June 5, 2019
A few months ago, I started a mission to learn all about polymathy. One of the first things I did was to look up the term ‘polymath’, one of the first things that popped up in Google was the web site for this book: The Polymath by Waqa Ahmed. I approached it with a certain amount of cynicism, just because I am uneasy with this kind of serendipity. I read through the description, felt a bit better, then found it on Amazon, and read through the blurb on Amazon. I decided to buy it on a whim, partly because I was very curious about the topic and partly because I realized that I didn’t know much about the topic of the polymath, even though I have used the term freely to identify myself. The writeup piqued my interest and I figured that it was a worthwhile investment, even if the book wasn’t any good. I am quite pleased I did put forth the investment.
This book is not just another nonfiction book geared towards the general readership. Ahmed had a purpose, a certain evangelical quality to his voice and to his writing. He was proselytizing to the populace regarding the bill of goods we had been sold as members of this culture. He is adamant about the duplicity foisted upon us by the powers that be: that specialization is the sole path toward intellectual fulfillment and excellence, that the only way to be successful is to drill a deep and narrow tunnel towards a blindered vision of the multifaceted world.
The author took a very disciplined and structured plan of attack. The book is written in the form of an argument. The first three chapters were written as an introduction as well a primer to define who Polymaths are, their peculiar qualities and the way they have led their lives. There is an extensive section on the many people from history that the author considers to be polymaths. The author does name drop - the authors drops into this mode quite often in his continuing narrative - this is name dropping in the very best sense of the phrase. He lists a vast array of people from history who, in his mind, are polymaths. Fortunately for us, due to his cultural background, the author attempts to be multi-cultural and multi-religious in selecting the names that he mentions in this chapter. There are many that I knew or had heard of, there are even more whose name are a total mystery to me. Unfortunately, there are so many that he could not give us a full accounting of their deeds and polymathic prowess. If he did, the book would be a couple of order of magnitude heavier. He does provide an appendix at the end of the book to give a brief synopsis of these polymaths. Perhaps a follow-up tome just relaying the histories of these extraordinary people is in order.
The author then jumps into his main argument, a cogent and systematic attack on the cult of specialization that has pervaded our society, the spell that this mythology has cast over our global culture, and the harm that it has caused our civilization.
He makes some excellent points but at this point of the book, he was preaching to the choir as I was already convinced of his salient arguments.
What follows are two critical chapters to this intellectual call to arms. The chapter on reconditioning the mind and the chapter on building an alternative education system which seek to reverse the cult of specialization and tries to give us a blueprint to establishing a polymathic educational pedagogy.
Regarding the chapter on reconditioning the mind, it is an unqualified success in my humble opinion. The author methodically and systematically laid out the qualities that must pervade our ethos and our thought process for us to change our thinking regarding ourselves and the way we see the world. It was quite inspiring and did cause me to think in completely different terms about my life, my approach to a career and it helped to explain my own ambivalence and uneasiness about what I have done so far. I am someone who blindly followed the specialization route until very recently when I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I had not followed my interests nor lived an optimized life. This chapter was a call to arms, a shot of courage, a needed kick in the pants to go pursue my polymath nature.
The chapter on the alternative system however was less successful, mainly because when speaking of reconditioning of my mind, I had full control over everything; whereas when speaking of creating an alternative system, we were speaking of a complex social movement involving changing the status quo and most importantly changing a lot of minds. While this book is a great start, it was still going to be a struggle, a struggle involving a galaxy of unknown variables. Part of the disappointment I felt reading the chapter on alternative system is that while the ideas for systematic changes were well articulated, they were not relayed in enough reality. Perhaps I am looking for a blueprint where a blueprint wasn’t what was called for, but my expectations were not met in full in this regard.
The last two chapters were yet another listing of smart and accomplished polymaths, except these polymaths are in the present, living and breathing examples of what the author has been trying to describe. Some are well known, celebrity polymaths to some degree, others were less so. Regardless of their fame or accomplishments, their stories once again left a need for a continuation of their biographies and stories in another volume. Even though the author intended the chapter to be akin to an intimate conversation with the subjects, the chapter itself fell short of that, as it was obvious that the stories were compendium of third source knowledge. No worries though, they were still quite fascinating.
The last chapter was the summary of this call to arm, and it’s brevity was much appreciated as the author already laid out his theses ad infinitum through out the rest of the book, so there was no need to restate the salient points.
One note regarding the name-dropping and the credential waving in the book. I was initially put off and bothered by this; as I believe polymaths do what they do to advance their own intrinsic need to attain an understanding of our world and sating their curiosity about the vast stores of knowledge, not for creating a litany of credentials. My understanding of the author’s reason for doing this grew as I dove deeper into the book: it is a part of our culture, credentials are a badge of identification for the capable in a specialization dominant world, it is a token of accomplishment to identify the persons of gravitas, as such it is a convenient tool to communicate to the general audience.
As for my recommendation. For those of us who have been searching for something that would explain our ambivalence and uneasiness when it comes to our lifelong path in the specialized world, this book is required reading. For those who have never questioned their role in this hegemony of specialization, maybe it is time for them to start questioning and this book is an ideal starting point.
This book is not just another nonfiction book geared towards the general readership. Ahmed had a purpose, a certain evangelical quality to his voice and to his writing. He was proselytizing to the populace regarding the bill of goods we had been sold as members of this culture. He is adamant about the duplicity foisted upon us by the powers that be: that specialization is the sole path toward intellectual fulfillment and excellence, that the only way to be successful is to drill a deep and narrow tunnel towards a blindered vision of the multifaceted world.
The author took a very disciplined and structured plan of attack. The book is written in the form of an argument. The first three chapters were written as an introduction as well a primer to define who Polymaths are, their peculiar qualities and the way they have led their lives. There is an extensive section on the many people from history that the author considers to be polymaths. The author does name drop - the authors drops into this mode quite often in his continuing narrative - this is name dropping in the very best sense of the phrase. He lists a vast array of people from history who, in his mind, are polymaths. Fortunately for us, due to his cultural background, the author attempts to be multi-cultural and multi-religious in selecting the names that he mentions in this chapter. There are many that I knew or had heard of, there are even more whose name are a total mystery to me. Unfortunately, there are so many that he could not give us a full accounting of their deeds and polymathic prowess. If he did, the book would be a couple of order of magnitude heavier. He does provide an appendix at the end of the book to give a brief synopsis of these polymaths. Perhaps a follow-up tome just relaying the histories of these extraordinary people is in order.
The author then jumps into his main argument, a cogent and systematic attack on the cult of specialization that has pervaded our society, the spell that this mythology has cast over our global culture, and the harm that it has caused our civilization.
He makes some excellent points but at this point of the book, he was preaching to the choir as I was already convinced of his salient arguments.
What follows are two critical chapters to this intellectual call to arms. The chapter on reconditioning the mind and the chapter on building an alternative education system which seek to reverse the cult of specialization and tries to give us a blueprint to establishing a polymathic educational pedagogy.
Regarding the chapter on reconditioning the mind, it is an unqualified success in my humble opinion. The author methodically and systematically laid out the qualities that must pervade our ethos and our thought process for us to change our thinking regarding ourselves and the way we see the world. It was quite inspiring and did cause me to think in completely different terms about my life, my approach to a career and it helped to explain my own ambivalence and uneasiness about what I have done so far. I am someone who blindly followed the specialization route until very recently when I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I had not followed my interests nor lived an optimized life. This chapter was a call to arms, a shot of courage, a needed kick in the pants to go pursue my polymath nature.
The chapter on the alternative system however was less successful, mainly because when speaking of reconditioning of my mind, I had full control over everything; whereas when speaking of creating an alternative system, we were speaking of a complex social movement involving changing the status quo and most importantly changing a lot of minds. While this book is a great start, it was still going to be a struggle, a struggle involving a galaxy of unknown variables. Part of the disappointment I felt reading the chapter on alternative system is that while the ideas for systematic changes were well articulated, they were not relayed in enough reality. Perhaps I am looking for a blueprint where a blueprint wasn’t what was called for, but my expectations were not met in full in this regard.
The last two chapters were yet another listing of smart and accomplished polymaths, except these polymaths are in the present, living and breathing examples of what the author has been trying to describe. Some are well known, celebrity polymaths to some degree, others were less so. Regardless of their fame or accomplishments, their stories once again left a need for a continuation of their biographies and stories in another volume. Even though the author intended the chapter to be akin to an intimate conversation with the subjects, the chapter itself fell short of that, as it was obvious that the stories were compendium of third source knowledge. No worries though, they were still quite fascinating.
The last chapter was the summary of this call to arm, and it’s brevity was much appreciated as the author already laid out his theses ad infinitum through out the rest of the book, so there was no need to restate the salient points.
One note regarding the name-dropping and the credential waving in the book. I was initially put off and bothered by this; as I believe polymaths do what they do to advance their own intrinsic need to attain an understanding of our world and sating their curiosity about the vast stores of knowledge, not for creating a litany of credentials. My understanding of the author’s reason for doing this grew as I dove deeper into the book: it is a part of our culture, credentials are a badge of identification for the capable in a specialization dominant world, it is a token of accomplishment to identify the persons of gravitas, as such it is a convenient tool to communicate to the general audience.
As for my recommendation. For those of us who have been searching for something that would explain our ambivalence and uneasiness when it comes to our lifelong path in the specialized world, this book is required reading. For those who have never questioned their role in this hegemony of specialization, maybe it is time for them to start questioning and this book is an ideal starting point.
May 22, 2020
I'm torn with this book. On one side, I think it was my own expectations of what I would find in it. I expected an in-depth analysis of the lives of polymaths and what to learn from them. The book does deliver on that point but in a too-shallow way for my taste. Again, this was probably my own expectation.
That said, the book is quite inconsistent. There are parts that read like an amateur reporter, sprinkled with wishful thinking and naivety. Other parts, while interesting, lack sufficient proof or validation. You find quotes like Malcolm Gladwells' 10.000-hour myth that are used to support certain hypotheses about polymaths that are, at best, disputable. Not that I don't personally agree with some of the mentions, but passing "bestseller" book quotes as "proof" is not something I call "scientific".
Some chapters were very good and I enjoyed them immensely. I liked the whole discussion on education and the wonderful interviews with different polymath. The book did get me thinking and reassessing certain things. I got some great suggestions for books to read, as well as an introduction to fascinating people I would love to explore more in-depth in the future.
So as I mentioned at the beginning, mixed feelings about the book. I do recommend the reading though, but be ready to roll your eyes at certain points ;)
That said, the book is quite inconsistent. There are parts that read like an amateur reporter, sprinkled with wishful thinking and naivety. Other parts, while interesting, lack sufficient proof or validation. You find quotes like Malcolm Gladwells' 10.000-hour myth that are used to support certain hypotheses about polymaths that are, at best, disputable. Not that I don't personally agree with some of the mentions, but passing "bestseller" book quotes as "proof" is not something I call "scientific".
Some chapters were very good and I enjoyed them immensely. I liked the whole discussion on education and the wonderful interviews with different polymath. The book did get me thinking and reassessing certain things. I got some great suggestions for books to read, as well as an introduction to fascinating people I would love to explore more in-depth in the future.
So as I mentioned at the beginning, mixed feelings about the book. I do recommend the reading though, but be ready to roll your eyes at certain points ;)
March 29, 2021
NOT RECOMMENDED (except for a few)
As an aspiring polymath, I was really excited to read this book, but ended up disappointed. Although I'm inclined to agree with its espoused values and diagnosis of the current situation, there are numerous problems with it; it is bad.
-There are a LOT of typos and grammatical errors. The prose rambles. Words are often repeated within a short space. Did WILEY really publish this? Where were their editors? Why did they abandon their usual function of pruning and cleaning up an author's work? The text reads more like a self-published, over-long manifesto than a book published by a major press.
-The book is organized in an unclear and seemingly haphazard fashion. The most egregious example is Chapter 3, a long list of polymaths with a deadly-dull litany of the achievements of each, for which the author gives no context. Why did he burden the reader with this? There is a positive side-effect, I suppose, which is to make you think, "Huh, I guess many of the famous creative people I've heard of were actually polymaths, not specialists." This is a genuine good, but could have been done more succinctly and convincingly. As it stands, the chapter is reader abuse at worst, "polymath porn" at best (and that kind of thing doesn't float my boat).
-The historical analysis is perfunctory in the extreme. Early on, we're given the following "explanation" of the rise of career specialization and the division of labor: the left brain hemisphere excels at linear thinking; that hemisphere became dominant in human society; specialization resulted. WHAT??! I tell you, *all* of the historical material in this book is similarly hand-wavy.
-The treatment of the ideas and arguments themselves is also superficial. There is a serious question here, which the author does grasp, about the future of human labor and value in an increasingly computerized and automated society. Ahmed offers polymathy as the only solution to this problem, because it is supposedly founded on aspects of the human that are "inimitable" (a word Ahmed loves). Now, I'm no tech-lover -- a Luddite if anything! -- but some argument or citation to this effect to avoid the appearance of an "inimitability of the gaps" would make the thinking more convincing. Further, how exactly is polymathy supposed to *help*, other than by being recalcitrant to automation? Does he mean there will be new inventions, devisable only by polymaths, that will solve the climate crisis? This places a heavy burden on technology as the solution to all problems (arguably a mindset that helped get us into the mess we're in!) as opposed to policy solutions.
I can't help but add that this kind of shallowness is particularly tragic because it courts the charge of dilettantism that plagues polymaths, and so undermines the author's case. Ahmed, an artist and neuroscientist, comes off as a dabbler in research.
-Also problematic is the author's treatment of education; coming off of reading E.D. Hirsch's well-reasoned diagnosis of the problems of school curricula today, I was dismayed to see Ahmed peddling the old canards that primary and secondary schools "see themselves as the mere purveyors of facts" (has he SEEN the vacuous humanities curricula current in the U.S. and France, or the frankly absurd little projects they have kids do, instead of helping them gain actual knowledge?). What schools should be doing, Ahmed asserts, is teach general critical thinking skills. Although in one place he alludes to the existence of a debate over whether there is a non-domain-specific "critical thinking skill," he loses that awareness here: in fact, what Ahmed proposes is already being done in schools, and to my mind Hirsch makes a pretty strong case that it is doomed to failure. On this view, teachers and students fling around all manner of blame for the fact that knowledge just isn't getting transmitted effectively in schools anymore (and everyone knows it), but being unreflectively and fervently committed to progressive educational theories, they blame the problem on a lack of funding or ongoing social inequality rather than on its main cause: failed methodologies that, instead of teaching students to understand and THEN discuss complex ideas autonomously, prematurely seeks to foster student discussions and "critical" or "scientific" thinking about them *before the student knows the first thing about them.* Frankly, what we need is MORE knowledge transmission, not less!
-The use and citation of sources is sloppy. First of all, I'm a little disturbed to see that there is no notes section in the book. Quotations are attributed to their authors in-text but not otherwise referenced. I can understand not burdening the reader with footnotes, but surely it's better to attribute with out-of-the-way endnotes than not to attribute at all. More troubling is the use of dubious sources. Malcolm Gladwell's books do not have sufficient authority to be used uncritically in support of an argument; Ahmed seems to disagree. He relies a great deal on McGilchrist's The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, whose ideas have been credibly questioned (including on this very site). Can't help but think this is a bit of I'll-scratch-your-back-you-scratch-mine on Ahmed's part, since McGilchrist et al.'s endorsements appear in the front matter and back cover. (Particularly funny in this connection is the section in which quoting out of context is lambasted on grounds of holism -- followed by a new section headed by an out-of-context quotation...)
I do recommend this book for anyone who sincerely wants to start incorporating the very basics of polymathic values and method into his/her thinking. To one sympathetic to the idea but who has never seriously considered how specialization hurts persons and societies, this might be a good read. But for those who are already polymath enough to spot sloppiness when they see it, skip this book. You are already an incarnation of this book's values. People like you lived before you and did great deeds. You don't need more information from sources like this; go right to the good stuff. Just carry on as you were.
As an aspiring polymath, I was really excited to read this book, but ended up disappointed. Although I'm inclined to agree with its espoused values and diagnosis of the current situation, there are numerous problems with it; it is bad.
-There are a LOT of typos and grammatical errors. The prose rambles. Words are often repeated within a short space. Did WILEY really publish this? Where were their editors? Why did they abandon their usual function of pruning and cleaning up an author's work? The text reads more like a self-published, over-long manifesto than a book published by a major press.
-The book is organized in an unclear and seemingly haphazard fashion. The most egregious example is Chapter 3, a long list of polymaths with a deadly-dull litany of the achievements of each, for which the author gives no context. Why did he burden the reader with this? There is a positive side-effect, I suppose, which is to make you think, "Huh, I guess many of the famous creative people I've heard of were actually polymaths, not specialists." This is a genuine good, but could have been done more succinctly and convincingly. As it stands, the chapter is reader abuse at worst, "polymath porn" at best (and that kind of thing doesn't float my boat).
-The historical analysis is perfunctory in the extreme. Early on, we're given the following "explanation" of the rise of career specialization and the division of labor: the left brain hemisphere excels at linear thinking; that hemisphere became dominant in human society; specialization resulted. WHAT??! I tell you, *all* of the historical material in this book is similarly hand-wavy.
-The treatment of the ideas and arguments themselves is also superficial. There is a serious question here, which the author does grasp, about the future of human labor and value in an increasingly computerized and automated society. Ahmed offers polymathy as the only solution to this problem, because it is supposedly founded on aspects of the human that are "inimitable" (a word Ahmed loves). Now, I'm no tech-lover -- a Luddite if anything! -- but some argument or citation to this effect to avoid the appearance of an "inimitability of the gaps" would make the thinking more convincing. Further, how exactly is polymathy supposed to *help*, other than by being recalcitrant to automation? Does he mean there will be new inventions, devisable only by polymaths, that will solve the climate crisis? This places a heavy burden on technology as the solution to all problems (arguably a mindset that helped get us into the mess we're in!) as opposed to policy solutions.
I can't help but add that this kind of shallowness is particularly tragic because it courts the charge of dilettantism that plagues polymaths, and so undermines the author's case. Ahmed, an artist and neuroscientist, comes off as a dabbler in research.
-Also problematic is the author's treatment of education; coming off of reading E.D. Hirsch's well-reasoned diagnosis of the problems of school curricula today, I was dismayed to see Ahmed peddling the old canards that primary and secondary schools "see themselves as the mere purveyors of facts" (has he SEEN the vacuous humanities curricula current in the U.S. and France, or the frankly absurd little projects they have kids do, instead of helping them gain actual knowledge?). What schools should be doing, Ahmed asserts, is teach general critical thinking skills. Although in one place he alludes to the existence of a debate over whether there is a non-domain-specific "critical thinking skill," he loses that awareness here: in fact, what Ahmed proposes is already being done in schools, and to my mind Hirsch makes a pretty strong case that it is doomed to failure. On this view, teachers and students fling around all manner of blame for the fact that knowledge just isn't getting transmitted effectively in schools anymore (and everyone knows it), but being unreflectively and fervently committed to progressive educational theories, they blame the problem on a lack of funding or ongoing social inequality rather than on its main cause: failed methodologies that, instead of teaching students to understand and THEN discuss complex ideas autonomously, prematurely seeks to foster student discussions and "critical" or "scientific" thinking about them *before the student knows the first thing about them.* Frankly, what we need is MORE knowledge transmission, not less!
-The use and citation of sources is sloppy. First of all, I'm a little disturbed to see that there is no notes section in the book. Quotations are attributed to their authors in-text but not otherwise referenced. I can understand not burdening the reader with footnotes, but surely it's better to attribute with out-of-the-way endnotes than not to attribute at all. More troubling is the use of dubious sources. Malcolm Gladwell's books do not have sufficient authority to be used uncritically in support of an argument; Ahmed seems to disagree. He relies a great deal on McGilchrist's The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, whose ideas have been credibly questioned (including on this very site). Can't help but think this is a bit of I'll-scratch-your-back-you-scratch-mine on Ahmed's part, since McGilchrist et al.'s endorsements appear in the front matter and back cover. (Particularly funny in this connection is the section in which quoting out of context is lambasted on grounds of holism -- followed by a new section headed by an out-of-context quotation...)
I do recommend this book for anyone who sincerely wants to start incorporating the very basics of polymathic values and method into his/her thinking. To one sympathetic to the idea but who has never seriously considered how specialization hurts persons and societies, this might be a good read. But for those who are already polymath enough to spot sloppiness when they see it, skip this book. You are already an incarnation of this book's values. People like you lived before you and did great deeds. You don't need more information from sources like this; go right to the good stuff. Just carry on as you were.
November 18, 2020
The topic and content is extremely close to my heart. And the content is exhaustive and from diverse fields. Hence I can't give a rating lower than this.
However, the author has managed to make the book read like a dictionary. That too one with each word thrice.
However, the author has managed to make the book read like a dictionary. That too one with each word thrice.
February 17, 2021
Should’ve titled it “a very very long list of polymaths throughout history with an unfortunate attempt to convince you that you can do the same despite living in the year 2021 with your completely different personal circumstances <3”
June 3, 2020
4.5/5
"Yet educational institutions have not progressed from their centuries-old role relating to the collation and distribution (transfer) of knowledge in order to teach how best to organise, understand and use it. Critical thinking is needed equally, if not more, today than in the past in order to discern what information is needed, when, to what extent and in what context."
This book would be easily a five-star book, unfortunately it's slightly repetitive and the ending tone of the book is naive.
But it still a really good book with very interesting insights and various examples of the author's point of view.
It is by far the most person citation-el book I've ever read, going through Leonardo da Vinci, Winston Churchill, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Vaclav Smil, Viggo Mortensen, Nicolas Copernicus, René Descartes, Alexander Bogdanov, Hypatia, Karl Marx, Ahmed Baba, Paul Robeson, Che Guevara, Ibn Sina, Leo Tolstoy, Stephen Hawking, Henri Poincaré, Confucius, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Edward de Bono, Story Musgrave, Noam Chomsky, Yuval Noah Harari, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Slavoj Zizek, Nathan Myhrvold, Aristotle, Oprah Winfrey and many, many others.
In my opinion, the book shines in it's approach to the numerous ways to think about the world at the same time he makes several appointments to modern education and discusses various topics, for example:
- The "modern censorship" via information flooding, rather than information holding;
- The contradiction of a capitalist system that should be the "individual freedom defender" but instead glorifies the ‘New Polymaths’: multinational companies that suffocate the individual search for non-specialized activities.
"Yet educational institutions have not progressed from their centuries-old role relating to the collation and distribution (transfer) of knowledge in order to teach how best to organise, understand and use it. Critical thinking is needed equally, if not more, today than in the past in order to discern what information is needed, when, to what extent and in what context."
This book would be easily a five-star book, unfortunately it's slightly repetitive and the ending tone of the book is naive.
But it still a really good book with very interesting insights and various examples of the author's point of view.
It is by far the most person citation-el book I've ever read, going through Leonardo da Vinci, Winston Churchill, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Vaclav Smil, Viggo Mortensen, Nicolas Copernicus, René Descartes, Alexander Bogdanov, Hypatia, Karl Marx, Ahmed Baba, Paul Robeson, Che Guevara, Ibn Sina, Leo Tolstoy, Stephen Hawking, Henri Poincaré, Confucius, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Edward de Bono, Story Musgrave, Noam Chomsky, Yuval Noah Harari, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Slavoj Zizek, Nathan Myhrvold, Aristotle, Oprah Winfrey and many, many others.
In my opinion, the book shines in it's approach to the numerous ways to think about the world at the same time he makes several appointments to modern education and discusses various topics, for example:
- The "modern censorship" via information flooding, rather than information holding;
- The contradiction of a capitalist system that should be the "individual freedom defender" but instead glorifies the ‘New Polymaths’: multinational companies that suffocate the individual search for non-specialized activities.
September 10, 2019
I wish there were ten stars on Goodreads to rate this well-researched, engaging and highly insightful book. The title was catchy enough but it did not prepare me for the mental journey it has taken me. It’s a book, it’s a field trip to history’s greatest minds, and it’s an eye opening discourse. It’s probably my most cerebral read for this year. And it’s one of those books that I would like my children to read and inherit from my book collection when they grow up. Waqas Ahmed presented a lot of references to back up his ideas and gave away practical and actionable suggestions on how to live as a polymath in a hyper-specialized world. So many takeaways from this, and I marvel at how so much insight can fit in a single book. I am not going to spoil it in this review; this book is a page turning experience that any bookworm and enthusiast of good ideas can enjoy and appreciate. I highly recommend it. It’s not a perfect book (there is no such thing), but it’s worth your time.
July 24, 2019
What a marvelous wonderful book! I don't even know what to say about it except that I devoured it in a couple of days because I could just not put it down. Very insightful, well written and interesting. My only negative comment is that things that are written in languages other than English (Latin/French) were *horribly* misspelled and that made me question the quality of the book.
October 23, 2021
A fair warning for anyone who is looking to a practical guide for achieving polymathy, this is not one. Instead, this book offers four things:
1) A good overview of what is polymathy, what it requires to be one, and how it took shape in different cultures across history.
2) An overall theme of anti-specialization pro-polymathy attitude. Whatever the discussion at hand is, the author circles back to attacking specialization from all kinds of angles (some more convincing than other). In my opinion the main value of the book is in the sections that deal primarily with specialization from a modern sociological framework.
3) A fairly brief overview of neuroscientific and psychological aspects of polymathy, multitasking, genius, talent, creativity and other qualities of polymaths.
4) A very very very long list of names. This book is more like a compilation of polymaths from across history. Biographies, lists of accomplishments, and lots of stories to prove that they are polymaths are interspersed throughout the book. I think more than 50% of the book is just listing these names and biographies. Sometimes its tedious and the biographies unrelated or not interesting. However, there are also some interesting additions to the long list that were unknown to me and that I noted down for future research.
Overall, I would only recommend reading certain chapters of the book, and to feel freely to skip some parts if you do intend to read this.
1) A good overview of what is polymathy, what it requires to be one, and how it took shape in different cultures across history.
2) An overall theme of anti-specialization pro-polymathy attitude. Whatever the discussion at hand is, the author circles back to attacking specialization from all kinds of angles (some more convincing than other). In my opinion the main value of the book is in the sections that deal primarily with specialization from a modern sociological framework.
3) A fairly brief overview of neuroscientific and psychological aspects of polymathy, multitasking, genius, talent, creativity and other qualities of polymaths.
4) A very very very long list of names. This book is more like a compilation of polymaths from across history. Biographies, lists of accomplishments, and lots of stories to prove that they are polymaths are interspersed throughout the book. I think more than 50% of the book is just listing these names and biographies. Sometimes its tedious and the biographies unrelated or not interesting. However, there are also some interesting additions to the long list that were unknown to me and that I noted down for future research.
Overall, I would only recommend reading certain chapters of the book, and to feel freely to skip some parts if you do intend to read this.
June 5, 2019
If you like your ideas wide-ranging and your characters taken from every time and civilisation, this book fulfils both requirements. The idea of polymathy - expertise in multiple areas - has been around for millenia. Waqas Ahmed has literally travelled the world to uncover stories of extraordinary people who have rejected the expecation to specialise, and instead have developed extraordinary skills and expertise in a vast range of fields.
One of the strengths its its refusal to stick to a Euro-centric view of the world; we're taken to first-century China; pre-Renaissance Africa; seventeenth-century Sweden; twentieth-century India, and every continent and time period between.
In some ways, the book can be offputting. Who can possibly hope to copy the achievements of Jose Rizal, poet, agriculturist, doctor, revolutionary, a speaker of over 20 languages, sculptor, flautist and cartographer, who was killed at 35? And yet he's only one of dozens such figures who demonstrate that this kind of polymathy is extraordinarily rare, and yet widespread.
That said, the book offers a compelling argument for why we should embrace polymathy for ourselves, and as a society. Among the things it offers us are more fulfilment as humans, more resilience to automation and AI, and greater problem-solving skills, as individuals and as a society.
It's a dense read, and doesn't wear its learning lightly. But it's a book worth returning to for inspiration and reference. I've already found myself taking it down from my bookcase wanting to refer to some of the figures in it.
One of the strengths its its refusal to stick to a Euro-centric view of the world; we're taken to first-century China; pre-Renaissance Africa; seventeenth-century Sweden; twentieth-century India, and every continent and time period between.
In some ways, the book can be offputting. Who can possibly hope to copy the achievements of Jose Rizal, poet, agriculturist, doctor, revolutionary, a speaker of over 20 languages, sculptor, flautist and cartographer, who was killed at 35? And yet he's only one of dozens such figures who demonstrate that this kind of polymathy is extraordinarily rare, and yet widespread.
That said, the book offers a compelling argument for why we should embrace polymathy for ourselves, and as a society. Among the things it offers us are more fulfilment as humans, more resilience to automation and AI, and greater problem-solving skills, as individuals and as a society.
It's a dense read, and doesn't wear its learning lightly. But it's a book worth returning to for inspiration and reference. I've already found myself taking it down from my bookcase wanting to refer to some of the figures in it.
November 16, 2025
It took me more than two years to finish this, and I know why. While the premise of this book is fascinating and I definitely took a lot from it, the superficiality with which some topics are touched upon is irritating. As someone with expertise e.g. in German literary and cultural history, I was annoyed by the way e.g. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is idealized in the book. Some of the current "polymaths" mentioned by the author are extremely questionable figures. Another major point of criticism is the way the author ignores questions of gender. While he mentions that, unfortunately, many of the people portrayed by him are men, he does nothing to counter the narrative of a masculine "genius". None of the people portrayed in the chapter "Twenty-first century polymaths" in more detail are women. At times, breadth takes over at the cost of depth in places where depth would be desperately needed. What an irony that this is a central theme in "The Polymath".
July 19, 2020
This book could've been titled "Everything you wanted to know about polymaths but were afraid to ask." It's certainly not a book for the general public. I was interested in reading the book as I would like to think that I've led my life following the polymath model. The author views polymaths as "humans of exceptional versatility, who excel in multiple, seemingly unrelated fields (more than two).
He identifies many historical and cultural figures as polymaths Including DaVinci, Benjamin Franklin, Bertrand Russell, Maya Angelou, Casanova, Aristotle, Hedy Lamarr, Paul Robeson, Copernicus, King Henry VIII, Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Jefferson, Churchill and many more. Ahmed takes great pains to outline the diverse achievements of those he has identified as polymaths.
It is a long book that had sections I skimmed through for lack of interest. While I would like to view myself as a polymath, I was blown away by the many and diverse achievements of polymaths that he identified in the book.
I don't think that most if any people that I personally know would identify themselves as polymaths or that they are following that life and intellectual path. So the audience for this book is certainly selective.
He identifies many historical and cultural figures as polymaths Including DaVinci, Benjamin Franklin, Bertrand Russell, Maya Angelou, Casanova, Aristotle, Hedy Lamarr, Paul Robeson, Copernicus, King Henry VIII, Oprah Winfrey, Thomas Jefferson, Churchill and many more. Ahmed takes great pains to outline the diverse achievements of those he has identified as polymaths.
It is a long book that had sections I skimmed through for lack of interest. While I would like to view myself as a polymath, I was blown away by the many and diverse achievements of polymaths that he identified in the book.
I don't think that most if any people that I personally know would identify themselves as polymaths or that they are following that life and intellectual path. So the audience for this book is certainly selective.
July 26, 2022
This book weaves together a narrative of history and a vision for the future that seeks to disrupt this prevailing system of unwarranted hyper specialization.
We must seek to change the system itself it's prevailing culture, educational curricula and pedagogy, social structures, institutions, work environment and indeed its general worldview and replace it with one that breeds and encourages polymathic mines and ushers in a new global generation of polymaths.
We must seek to change the system itself it's prevailing culture, educational curricula and pedagogy, social structures, institutions, work environment and indeed its general worldview and replace it with one that breeds and encourages polymathic mines and ushers in a new global generation of polymaths.
August 3, 2020
Mr. Ahmed has done an incredible service to all humanity in writing "The Polymath." While some may see this as work done by an interviewer; some, a great lecture from an academic; and others, as a work of personal insights from someone with a passion to better understand polymathia, the truth is - it's all of the above! He found the interconnectedness of his own life experiences and pursuits to write this book in a way that can appeal to every type of reader, and make an impact towards their individual style of learning and understanding.
His thoughtful review of what it "means" to be polymathic, combined with unique insights to better foreshadow how all people can 'revert' back to this way of thinking, demonstrates his true objective with this work was to be informative, and allow readers to do their own, introspective thinking and review. While he lays the framework for understanding, he also offers readers the ability to keep asking their own questions - even questioning how we all could benefit from thinking differently.
I may be bias, as both the subject of polymaths, and Mr. Ahmed himself truly fascinate me, however, it is my opinion that this book should be required reading for all people. Not only does it provide factual support to his positions, but, it offers people another perspetive as to how and why things could be different if we - as a society - didn't only reward and glorify hyper-specialization.
In my opinion, and regardless how Mr. Ahmed may personally reference himself, I believe he deserves to be listed within these pages next to the great Polymaths outlined within. His extraordinary ability to demonstrate his own cognitive flexibility is seen throughout these pages - and where others may have mentioned it as "inconsistent" or "going off on tangents" at certain points, IMO that couldn't be further from the truth.
We're all lucky to live at a time where Mr. Ahmed has created "The Polymath" as it holds the foundation to bigger questions and potential solutions humanity can benefit from. This is a MUST read for all people - regardless of intent or personal passion - bc if we as a society can better understand the polymaths around us today, and learn WHY and HOW they think vs. what they think, we could really start making a sustainable difference in the world.
IMO the only person who could have written this better is someone like Buckminster Fuller - who spent 30+ books reiterating much of what Mr. Ahmed has drawn attention to here. Congrats Waqas - I hope your wife was as impressed as this reader. :)
His thoughtful review of what it "means" to be polymathic, combined with unique insights to better foreshadow how all people can 'revert' back to this way of thinking, demonstrates his true objective with this work was to be informative, and allow readers to do their own, introspective thinking and review. While he lays the framework for understanding, he also offers readers the ability to keep asking their own questions - even questioning how we all could benefit from thinking differently.
I may be bias, as both the subject of polymaths, and Mr. Ahmed himself truly fascinate me, however, it is my opinion that this book should be required reading for all people. Not only does it provide factual support to his positions, but, it offers people another perspetive as to how and why things could be different if we - as a society - didn't only reward and glorify hyper-specialization.
In my opinion, and regardless how Mr. Ahmed may personally reference himself, I believe he deserves to be listed within these pages next to the great Polymaths outlined within. His extraordinary ability to demonstrate his own cognitive flexibility is seen throughout these pages - and where others may have mentioned it as "inconsistent" or "going off on tangents" at certain points, IMO that couldn't be further from the truth.
We're all lucky to live at a time where Mr. Ahmed has created "The Polymath" as it holds the foundation to bigger questions and potential solutions humanity can benefit from. This is a MUST read for all people - regardless of intent or personal passion - bc if we as a society can better understand the polymaths around us today, and learn WHY and HOW they think vs. what they think, we could really start making a sustainable difference in the world.
IMO the only person who could have written this better is someone like Buckminster Fuller - who spent 30+ books reiterating much of what Mr. Ahmed has drawn attention to here. Congrats Waqas - I hope your wife was as impressed as this reader. :)
November 9, 2024
This is an interesting one. It’s meant to be sort of an argument that our present economic and educational systems are unjustly putting polymaths down and a sort of suggestion that everyone—not just the super-geniuses we normally associate with the term—should strive to be polymaths.
I honestly find it a little bit difficult to review this one, because I find myself in complete agreement with most of what the author argues. We may quibble over a few points and I may question whether the average person can be quite as versatile as the author suggests, but I do think he’s looking in the right direction. And I think he makes a reasonably good, if brief, argument in favor of encouraging broader interests and more versatility.
However, I think the book struggles in two primary domains. The first has to do with that very brevity I mentioned. Though the book is of fairly typical length at a little over 300 pages, the pages devoted to really making the core arguments are far fewer in number. Large portions of the book are given over to brief biographical treatments of a variety of polymaths throughout history, including some famous ones and some you’ve probably never heard of. There’s nothing wrong with that (though be forewarned that the biographies are brief and rather superficial), but it does mean that the bulk of the book doesn’t spend its time where I think it really ought to have: namely, carefully developing economic arguments about where the polymath fits in today’s society.
Secondly, though I tend to agree with the author’s conclusions for the most part, I don’t think he does an adequate job of giving specialization its due. Yes, we may be in agreement that people ought to be more versatile, but we also have to contend with the idea that at least some degree of specialization enabled the modern world because we’re each able to outsource substantial portions of our lives. Similarly, some professions may be so technically demanding that specialization is called for. We don’t necessary want someone who “dabbles” in neurosurgery. These arguments can be overcome and the author does make some moves toward contending with them, but not at a level that I think holdouts who are not yet convinced by his thesis will find compelling.
None of which is to say it’s a bad book by any means. I quite enjoyed reading it and I heartily recommend it, in that I think its ideas need wider discussion. But I do have to say, I liked the IDEA of the book more than I did its execution.
I honestly find it a little bit difficult to review this one, because I find myself in complete agreement with most of what the author argues. We may quibble over a few points and I may question whether the average person can be quite as versatile as the author suggests, but I do think he’s looking in the right direction. And I think he makes a reasonably good, if brief, argument in favor of encouraging broader interests and more versatility.
However, I think the book struggles in two primary domains. The first has to do with that very brevity I mentioned. Though the book is of fairly typical length at a little over 300 pages, the pages devoted to really making the core arguments are far fewer in number. Large portions of the book are given over to brief biographical treatments of a variety of polymaths throughout history, including some famous ones and some you’ve probably never heard of. There’s nothing wrong with that (though be forewarned that the biographies are brief and rather superficial), but it does mean that the bulk of the book doesn’t spend its time where I think it really ought to have: namely, carefully developing economic arguments about where the polymath fits in today’s society.
Secondly, though I tend to agree with the author’s conclusions for the most part, I don’t think he does an adequate job of giving specialization its due. Yes, we may be in agreement that people ought to be more versatile, but we also have to contend with the idea that at least some degree of specialization enabled the modern world because we’re each able to outsource substantial portions of our lives. Similarly, some professions may be so technically demanding that specialization is called for. We don’t necessary want someone who “dabbles” in neurosurgery. These arguments can be overcome and the author does make some moves toward contending with them, but not at a level that I think holdouts who are not yet convinced by his thesis will find compelling.
None of which is to say it’s a bad book by any means. I quite enjoyed reading it and I heartily recommend it, in that I think its ideas need wider discussion. But I do have to say, I liked the IDEA of the book more than I did its execution.
April 2, 2025
THE ONLY SAFE MINDS
A fantastic read chronicling the validity and history behind not only the polymath, but the monumental impact that this archetype has had on the development and progression of societies and humanity as a whole.
They really are the key figures in moving the world forward, in just about every major movement or revolution, Polymaths were at the helm steering the ship.
Its so interesting, I had no idea so many historic figures were such diverse and dexterous thinkers and learners. The fact that Benjamin Franklin did all that he did, or that Thomas Jefferson was an Architect, or William Churchill writing novels, poetry and painting, like since when. These things are so rarely referenced in our education system and its fucked. Genius in one field is rarely isolated. Creative breakthroughs are found through synthesizing diverse opinions, knowledge, sources and creating novel new ideas, aka, the more diverse your wealth of ideas are, the more chances for creativity you will have. aka the more intelligent you will be.
Intelligence in American Culture is often dictated by EXTREMELY rudimentary and laymen concepts that only scratch the surface of what a human is. Defining someones intelligence because they are bad at one subject simply because the education system holds it as "more important" aka more utility in the workforce and its quite sad honestly, because it discourages curiosity, the most powerful spark in the world.
However beneficial and essential the variety of your study is to reach the highest heights. I think the line needs to be carefully walked because of how the information age, and the new "Revelation" as i like to call it has democratized knowledge to a degree that has never been dreamt of.
In an age where AI will take many if not most of the mundane and operational jobs and tasks in our world, the rarest commodity will be those polymaths who are unbound by a certain field, a certain career, but use their core Creativity, Individuality, Curiosity, Intelligence, Versatility and, ability to synthesize the unity all pieces of the universal existence to change the world.
A polymath can rest easy, knowing AI could never dream of seeing the world like he does. He has nothing, nowhere, nobody to fear. For he is at home not in any one place, but in his own mind.
A fantastic read chronicling the validity and history behind not only the polymath, but the monumental impact that this archetype has had on the development and progression of societies and humanity as a whole.
They really are the key figures in moving the world forward, in just about every major movement or revolution, Polymaths were at the helm steering the ship.
Its so interesting, I had no idea so many historic figures were such diverse and dexterous thinkers and learners. The fact that Benjamin Franklin did all that he did, or that Thomas Jefferson was an Architect, or William Churchill writing novels, poetry and painting, like since when. These things are so rarely referenced in our education system and its fucked. Genius in one field is rarely isolated. Creative breakthroughs are found through synthesizing diverse opinions, knowledge, sources and creating novel new ideas, aka, the more diverse your wealth of ideas are, the more chances for creativity you will have. aka the more intelligent you will be.
Intelligence in American Culture is often dictated by EXTREMELY rudimentary and laymen concepts that only scratch the surface of what a human is. Defining someones intelligence because they are bad at one subject simply because the education system holds it as "more important" aka more utility in the workforce and its quite sad honestly, because it discourages curiosity, the most powerful spark in the world.
However beneficial and essential the variety of your study is to reach the highest heights. I think the line needs to be carefully walked because of how the information age, and the new "Revelation" as i like to call it has democratized knowledge to a degree that has never been dreamt of.
In an age where AI will take many if not most of the mundane and operational jobs and tasks in our world, the rarest commodity will be those polymaths who are unbound by a certain field, a certain career, but use their core Creativity, Individuality, Curiosity, Intelligence, Versatility and, ability to synthesize the unity all pieces of the universal existence to change the world.
A polymath can rest easy, knowing AI could never dream of seeing the world like he does. He has nothing, nowhere, nobody to fear. For he is at home not in any one place, but in his own mind.
December 23, 2025
I absolutely love this book from Waqas Ahmed. Primarily because it liberated me from my own thinking of breadth in knowledge searching as an error. I feel the ostracism mentioned in the book about people who anarchistically refuse to be specialised and put into one box.
The author looks deep into the history of polymaths and what makes them polymaths. It looks a current polymaths and their thinking about their abilities and the connection to the whole. To unity.
I believe, as the author, that the world needs more cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary individuals. In business, in politics, and within the arts. I believe it is essential to solve some of the current big problems of the world, and those to come. Either due to political or technological developments, such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Realities, and genetic technologies.
Another book related to this topic is Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein.
The author looks deep into the history of polymaths and what makes them polymaths. It looks a current polymaths and their thinking about their abilities and the connection to the whole. To unity.
I believe, as the author, that the world needs more cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary individuals. In business, in politics, and within the arts. I believe it is essential to solve some of the current big problems of the world, and those to come. Either due to political or technological developments, such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Realities, and genetic technologies.
Another book related to this topic is Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein.
September 20, 2020
El inmenso valor de este libro radica en la urgente necesidad de un cambio de paradigmas. El mundo especializado no ha conseguido elevar nuestro nivel de felicidad colectivo. La separación contra-natura de las distintas áreas de conocimiento puede que sean muy efectivas en algunos casos, e incluso necesarias, pero llevadas a un extremo no posibilitan un avance emocional ni holístico de un sistema en declive tanto a nivel moral como efectivo.
Si bien en algunos momentos me sentí un tanto apabullada por la cantidad de referencias, comprendo que resultan relevantes al motivo inicial por el que fue escrito este libro.
La pregunta que queda pendiente es cómo realizar el cambio hacia un mundo más equilibrado, justo y eficiente a la hora de disminuir las inmensas diferencias e injusticias en el reparto de la cuota de bienestar a la que cada persona tiene derecho, incluyendo y sobre todo, el derecho a la realización personal. Asimismo, sería maravilloso que la próxima vez que se escriba un libro al respecto, muchas, muchísimas, más mujeres formaran parte del abanico de ejemplos. No culpa del autor sino una vez más la demostración de que todavía queda mucho por hacer.
Un libro necesario para un mundo en crisis.
Si bien en algunos momentos me sentí un tanto apabullada por la cantidad de referencias, comprendo que resultan relevantes al motivo inicial por el que fue escrito este libro.
La pregunta que queda pendiente es cómo realizar el cambio hacia un mundo más equilibrado, justo y eficiente a la hora de disminuir las inmensas diferencias e injusticias en el reparto de la cuota de bienestar a la que cada persona tiene derecho, incluyendo y sobre todo, el derecho a la realización personal. Asimismo, sería maravilloso que la próxima vez que se escriba un libro al respecto, muchas, muchísimas, más mujeres formaran parte del abanico de ejemplos. No culpa del autor sino una vez más la demostración de que todavía queda mucho por hacer.
Un libro necesario para un mundo en crisis.
March 19, 2021
[If you see this... I decided to finish up the last few chapters, to see what I can pull from this, and perhaps give this maybe a 3 stars if it woo's me at the end... ]
I will make this as brief as possible. I really wanted to like this book. I have been interested in, and researching the concept of the polymath now for a few years. I was very excited to find this book referenced on the website of another author I follow. If I was looking for a fascinating book that listed out hundreds of polymath's from history, then I would give this book an easy 4 stars. Unfortunately, I was looking for more than that and perhaps that is merely due to my own expectations.
My other critique is that though I am no writer myself, and couldn't have done any better, the author Waqas Ahmed (who I like, and hope comes out with more content) jumps around quite a bit between his lists of polymaths, and a little history on the subject in a less than consistent, graceful way therefore making this book hard to follow.
Task: I will add this as an audiobook and add it to my "listen to while I drive" list, and after mulling over a bit of it more, I will see if the value increases, because like I said... I really wanted to like this.
And yes... I realize this wasn't very brief.
My other critique is that though I am no writer myself, and couldn't have done any better, the author Waqas Ahmed (who I like, and hope comes out with more content) jumps around quite a bit between his lists of polymaths, and a little history on the subject in a less than consistent, graceful way therefore making this book hard to follow.
Task: I will add this as an audiobook and add it to my "listen to while I drive" list, and after mulling over a bit of it more, I will see if the value increases, because like I said... I really wanted to like this.
And yes... I realize this wasn't very brief.
February 10, 2022
I was always interested in learning more about polymathy on different levels: history, neuroscience, society, education etc ... I found a part of what I was looking for in this book for sure, but it remained at surface level for all that was mentioned. It is still worth your time it groups a good deal of information about the topic, and the author had generously provided readers with references and detailed accounts on the life of a number of polymaths. He also included an outline of what a university curriculum should look like to help foster polymathy. (I kept a copy for future reference)
Worth mentioning that this book is also a call to action and the author has provided a framework that could help practice your polymathy although by the end of the book it sounded more like pluri-disciplinarity and hoarding degrees - and that's not polymathy, a point that Waqas had explained earlier...
My overall impression was that yes it was a good book, but man did it feel like a long blog? But it's on me I'm used to reading books with impeccable storytelling (non-fic ofc)! It did kick off nicely though!
And of course I'd still recommend it!
And thanks, I'm now putting a name on what I was doing for the last 10 years: building my career portfolio!
Worth mentioning that this book is also a call to action and the author has provided a framework that could help practice your polymathy although by the end of the book it sounded more like pluri-disciplinarity and hoarding degrees - and that's not polymathy, a point that Waqas had explained earlier...
My overall impression was that yes it was a good book, but man did it feel like a long blog? But it's on me I'm used to reading books with impeccable storytelling (non-fic ofc)! It did kick off nicely though!
And of course I'd still recommend it!
And thanks, I'm now putting a name on what I was doing for the last 10 years: building my career portfolio!
October 20, 2025
Waqas Ahmed’s The Polymath: Unlocking the Power of Human Versatility is a bold and transformative exploration of what it truly means to be human. With clarity and conviction, Ahmed dismantles the myth of hyper specialization and invites readers to reawaken the boundless potential that lies within every person. Drawing from history, philosophy, and science, he crafts a compelling argument for a new era of intellectual freedom one that values curiosity, creativity, and multidimensional thinking over narrow expertise.
What makes The Polymath exceptional is not only its intellectual depth but its call to action. Ahmed empowers readers to reclaim their innate versatility and to view learning as a lifelong, liberating pursuit. His vision of a society that encourages multiplicity of thought and skill is both inspiring and necessary in a world that increasingly demands adaptability and holistic understanding. This is more than a book it’s a manifesto for the future of human flourishing.
What makes The Polymath exceptional is not only its intellectual depth but its call to action. Ahmed empowers readers to reclaim their innate versatility and to view learning as a lifelong, liberating pursuit. His vision of a society that encourages multiplicity of thought and skill is both inspiring and necessary in a world that increasingly demands adaptability and holistic understanding. This is more than a book it’s a manifesto for the future of human flourishing.
April 30, 2020
Most people wouldn't care about recent maps or photographs of a Jovian moon, but polymaths would be on it immediately--and anything that it leads to such as poetry and literature, and so on. Rainy days for polymaths are typically beautiful days.
Polymaths are at the ready to apply and use metaphors. Most people can't (or won't) make remote connections, but polymaths naturally do because they have given themselves permission to make them. One of the core courses for being an artist would be polymathy.
Polymaths see things other people don't so they are very practical in that sense. It's not because it's genius or talent; it's just because they haven't put boundaries on things that are knowable or usable in a particular setting.
Polymaths are at the ready to apply and use metaphors. Most people can't (or won't) make remote connections, but polymaths naturally do because they have given themselves permission to make them. One of the core courses for being an artist would be polymathy.
Polymaths see things other people don't so they are very practical in that sense. It's not because it's genius or talent; it's just because they haven't put boundaries on things that are knowable or usable in a particular setting.
April 13, 2022
Pretty good.
Put's forward convincing arguments for The Polymath, backed by quotes, scientific evidence, and a bibliography.
However, the biggest drawback (that doesn't impact the core information but the overall enjoyability + ease of consumption) would be the overly extensive list of polymaths and their accomplishments. Likely around a third of the book is filled with this, and I find little value to having such an extensive list.
On a final note, during the beginning of his book, his definition of a polymath was much more strict (the title were only given to a select special few). However, nearing the end he started labelling many people polymaths loosely (almost anyone with a few disjointed interests could be labelled as a polymath).
For this reason, I can only give it 4 stars.
Put's forward convincing arguments for The Polymath, backed by quotes, scientific evidence, and a bibliography.
However, the biggest drawback (that doesn't impact the core information but the overall enjoyability + ease of consumption) would be the overly extensive list of polymaths and their accomplishments. Likely around a third of the book is filled with this, and I find little value to having such an extensive list.
On a final note, during the beginning of his book, his definition of a polymath was much more strict (the title were only given to a select special few). However, nearing the end he started labelling many people polymaths loosely (almost anyone with a few disjointed interests could be labelled as a polymath).
For this reason, I can only give it 4 stars.
February 23, 2025
Considering the scarcity of the book of similar nature, this one did a decent job in gathering various examples of polymathy across times, cultures, and fields.
The only problem I have is that the notion of polymath is ill-defined that people with simply broad range of interests can be classified as polymath. Whereas people like Elon Musk and Che Guevara sure juggle a lot between different fields, to classify them as polymath would be a bit of a long stretch. I prefer Peter Burke's approach that limits polymathy to those with broad academic knowledge (and if I may add, academic contributions across different disciplines as well).
The only problem I have is that the notion of polymath is ill-defined that people with simply broad range of interests can be classified as polymath. Whereas people like Elon Musk and Che Guevara sure juggle a lot between different fields, to classify them as polymath would be a bit of a long stretch. I prefer Peter Burke's approach that limits polymathy to those with broad academic knowledge (and if I may add, academic contributions across different disciplines as well).
November 20, 2022
This book has a great core message, and has clearly been researched to death. But the writer maybe should learn that even though you can learn anything, you should still have a professional edit your book and record your audiobook. It is painful to watch good ideas get killed by pride.
The core message is that overspecialization is a hinderance on human potential of the best and brightest, and furthermore it is a requirement for many high status persons.
If you want a better written and less pompous take on the successful path of the jack of all trades, try reading the book “Range”.
The core message is that overspecialization is a hinderance on human potential of the best and brightest, and furthermore it is a requirement for many high status persons.
If you want a better written and less pompous take on the successful path of the jack of all trades, try reading the book “Range”.
August 5, 2024
Extraordinary book for people who want to know more and in-depth about the way of Polymathy. Waqas with his immaculate writing style and research completely gave me goosebumps with the amount of Men and Women of history who were Polymaths that were mentioned.
But i found it overdone. There were lots of names to the point it became somewhat boring near the end. Also could've added sections on practicality of Polymathy and how we can aspire to be one and tips. Overall an amazing book for polymath aspirants.
But i found it overdone. There were lots of names to the point it became somewhat boring near the end. Also could've added sections on practicality of Polymathy and how we can aspire to be one and tips. Overall an amazing book for polymath aspirants.
October 14, 2025
DNF. From the introduction, you can tell the author thinks very highly of himself as a thinker; he came out with his Ayn Rand guns blazing, but I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt. After all, the book promised to be scientifically sourced. Then he proceeds to quote the controversial archaeologist and renowned charlatan Graham Hancock in just the second chapter. I'm not saying that one thing completely undermines the credibility of the book, but it was the red flag I needed to not feel guilty about pulling the cord on my parachute.
December 3, 2025
The book in my opinion should be titled as The History of Polymathy. The reason for this being that instead of elaborating on the concept of Polymath in general and telling the reader practical ways of becoming one themselves, it gives hundreds of examples of other Polymaths whose methods are mentioned in only a brief footnote. It should however should be praised for the manner in which it encourages the reader to become a Polymath themselves, which will resonate on a deeper level for most of us.
January 19, 2020
I came upon this book on my library shelf as completely drawn to it's title and subject matter. Must admit it was very challenging read to get through to the end and I do feel the last chapter falls short of his strong argument for polymathy. Nevertheless, it had allowed me to widen my views and thoughts on many levels about the misaligned social constructs of our current education system and encouraged me to explore my perpetual curiosity as an asset, not impediment, and source of joy.
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