Polymaths have strange, winding life paths when looked at in hindsight. But there is quite a bit that we can learn simply from analyzing the lives and approaches of some particularly notable polymaths from history. They show what can be done through a combination of knowledge, hard work, and pure curiosity that must be satiated.

First we must start with the most famous polymath of them all, Leonardo da Vinci. He excelled in just about everything, though you probably know him for his artwork. But he was also a military strategist, sculptor, anatomist, and machinist to name a few. Johann von Goethe was referred to as the inventor of the German language because his literary works were so influential and important to German culture. However, he also found time to become a famous botanist, and rose in the ranks of German political structure to become the war commissioner and oversaw a series of tax reforms.

Continue reading “Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants – Da Vinci And Goethe, In This Case”