Polymat. The story of universal people from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag. Burk P.

Usually, polymaties are understood as universal people gifted in different areas. Oddly enough, these amazing personalities, endowed with almost supernatural abilities, are almost not studied as a phenomenon. The book of the famous historian Peter Bird is a successful attempt to replenish this gap. According to his definition, polymates are not just erudites with wide interests, but scientists with encyclopedic knowledge about the subject or its essential segment.

What is their uniqueness and can they be classified? What features - congenital or acquired - contribute to polymatia? How important are the sociocultural and economic conditions in which they live and work for these people? How do they influence technical progress and information explosion? Will the polymates survive as a “type” in a deeper specialization?

Peter Burk is looking for answers to these and other questions, exploring the history and "habitat" of the polymates - from Pythagoras to Jared Diamond, from Leonardo da Vincen to Susan Sontag.