Shawn Olson Guestbook

Michael Emery said: [ Regarding Renaissance Man ]

Recently I stumbled upon a book by Barbara Sher titled "Refuse to Choose". It talks about a "class" of people called "scanners". From my interpretation of what I have read so far these scanners are the modern representation of the "renaissance man" a jack-of-all-trades so to speak. I agree with you in that it is impossible to attain the level of knoweledge that these previous people have had in the past. I think however that our society pushes us towards the single path and really looks down on the polymath. We are people of unique abilities and our society for the most part doesn't seem to like uniqueness. I think the concept is making a comeback however as a few sites have begun to appear on the net.
I am a scanner and I am at my best when I am working on twenty different things at once. I think that renaissance people are wired differently which allows them to function so well in such a diverse environement. We thrive on the new, trying to learn as much as possible about the world around us. So to reiterate I think that "renaissance people" are still very prevalent but until we are viewed in a different light it is sometimes safer to blend into the crowd.
I look forward to any response.
Michael
[ See Responses ]

Ron Tucker said: [ See Comment Stimulus ]

I prefer to call today's Renaissance man/woman as The Bright Common Man...The BCM practices key skills & habits that humbly cause her to rise to the top. When she connects with likeminded, complementary folk, globally, they will a cumulative, pronounced effect upon the world.
With technology capabilities and the accessability of knowlege available to many, many are exercizing their power to impact their worlds, improving the quality of life.
We're witnessing an epic renaissance. It's a thrilling privlege to be a part of it.

Shawn Olson said: [ See Comment Stimulus ]

Michael,

Thank you for your comment. I am what I like to think of a Renaissance Man in my own right (database programmer, photojournalist, game designer, writer)... so I am not saying that the Renaissance Man is a thing of the past. My only meaning was that fewer people stick out so much than they did in the past because there is no way for anyone to "know it all". And becuase there are so many people that know a lot about many things, it's simply hard to stick out as unique.

I personally think that being a person of wide scope (in both proficiency and activity) is useful and good because it teaches us how to use tools and knowledge that are not normally used in every field.

Anyway... If I gave you the impression that polymaths are "extinct" or not good for society, I apologize for my lack of clarity. That is not what I mean.

Please note that not all of the ideas, opinions and statements made in this guestbook necessarily represent the views and opinions of Shawn Olson.

This guestook is kept spam-free by the protection of the GoodGuest System.