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The Golden Age of the Polymath
Posted by: Romanna Bint Abubaker
Tags: art,creativity,education.polymath,monomath,schools,science,TED Posted date:
March 27, 2012 |
18 Comments
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In its desperation to emphasise on revenue, modern Western education stunts human capacity whilst devaluing the innate creativity and desire for knowledge that societies have historically applauded
Humanities cuts announced by the government. Are we surprised? A reinforcement of a government committed to robbing us of our intellect. The authorities are insistent on narrowing down our abilities through increased specialisation and vocationalisation. It wants to develop incurious producers whose sole purpose is to add revenue to our economy.
It is this contemporary thinking that leads us to compartmentalise our skills as ‘doctor’ or ‘lawyer’, ‘artist’ or ‘banker’. What happened to Polymaths?
Definition of a polymath: a person who excels in, or is an expert in a significant number of different subject areas. The concept was coined during a period where numerous great thinkers excelled in multiple fields of arts and sciences. As the accomplished Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472) said, “a man can do all things if he will.”
In early Islamic civilization there was no single authority that controlled the education system. Education was, however, considered compulsory and more worthy than any form of superogatory worship. The purpose of education was to equip an individual to be an upstanding citizen, who was aware of his responsibilities to the world, society and his Lord. The Islamic view is that only through knowledge can one understand the benefits that his Lord has given him and so be in a state of obedience.
The Prophet ﷺ who became a physician, judge, arbitrator, lawyer, healer and counselor, is the archetype. A famously quoted saying of his ﷺ is “seek education from birth to death even if it is in China” (China being an example of a distant place). Education was to be broad and cover astronomy, law, theology, poetry, science, philosophy and particularly encourage the etiquettes of learning. Taking poetry as an example, the famous scholar, Imam Al-Ghazali describes the learning of poetry as fundamental to developing the use of rhetoric, the ability to be eloquent and to speak succinctly, which in itself would develop an individual’s character. Greek, Roman and all classical education systems placed emphasis on memorising poetry for this reason. Quintillian highlights this in his educational theories where he says:
‘there is no foundation for the complaint that only a small minority of human beings have been given the power to understand what is taught to them, the majority being so slow-witted… the greater number are quick to reason and prompt to learn. This is natural to man: as birds are born for flying… so are we for mental activity and resourcefulness.’
It was this system that led to the flourishing of the rational sciences in the Golden Age, subsequently reflected in the prosperity of the Islamic Empire. Mathematicians, astronomers, physicians, engineers and other kinds of scientists were abundant. The system conformed to the law of supply and demand but this was not the sole purpose of education. Education was an obligation in order to develop individual potential and was sought for itself and not for a particular job, status or position in society, which is distinctly different to today.
Well known Polymaths who had a great impact on civilization include Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (980-1037), al-Razzi (860-940), and Husayn bin Ishak al-Ibadi, who developed the medical sciences. Razi is reported to have written 200 books on medicine, one of them on medical ethics, and the Hawi, a 25 volume practical encyclopedia. Ibn Sina became a famed physician at 18 who wrote 16 books. His corpus also includes writing on philosophy, astronomy, alchemy, geology, psychology, Islamic theology, logic, mathematics, and physics, as well as poetry.
Recent studies and discussions through platforms such as Ted have voiced concerns about our current system of education and what we value as ‘intelligence’. There is grave concern that we are killing creativity.
We are being ‘dumbed down through a serial form of programming’ as Sir Ken Robinson, a recognised leader in the development of education, creativity and innovation, describes it. In other words, “being educated.”
In his Ted presentation, ‘Schools Kill Creativity’, he says, “we see extraordinary evidence of human creativity…all kids have tremendous talents and we squander them ruthlessly.” Picasso said, “all children are born as artists, the problem is to remain artists when we grow up.” What concerns me and should concern all of us is that we are effectively educating children out of creativity and this is being done at an institutional level.
The most alarming statistic Sir Ken provides is from a study on divergent thinking published in Breakpoint and Beyond. Divergent thinking is the ability to think of many answers to a specific problem. This is the first step to problem solving, before we get analytical. 98% of 1500 kindergartners scored at the genius level for divergent thinking. Their scores dropped dramatically as they progressed in the education system. This shows us two things: that we all have this innate potential and that it mostly deteriorates. We are therefore becoming ‘dumber’ and I speak from personal experience. As a child I was on track to be a polymath, scoring 99% in virtually all subjects, winning every mathematics, science, English and spelling award there was. However, as I progressed through the system I genuinely found myself losing the desire and ability to maintain this standard. I got ‘bored’ of education.
The UK Education system is one of the most prescriptive in educating out of creativity. Students are made to select three or four subjects by A-level. I still fought this – starting with five A-levels (the old pre- 2001 A-levels) and to date I’m sure if the teachers believed that I really could be a specialist in these diverse areas (from Physics to Psychology to Electronics) – I may just have had a chance.
Carl Djerassi, a rare polymath of today describes the UK system as a mistake. “There’ll be students here at age 16 or 17 who are much better than many Americans at French or maths or something, but abysmally ignorant in another area,” he says. “We really preach intellectual monogamy more and more in this day and age.”
So how did we end up where we are? Modern education was coined only in the 19th Century and as a system designed to meet the needs of industrialism. It is only natural then that it will seek to develop a core type of character, one that suits the needs of the market. We are now considered commodities to fill market demands. Schools are a production line. Robinson says, “our minds have been mined the way we mine the earth for a particular commodity.” Appreciating education as a fundamental virtue, not for a means to an end but as an end in itself, has been lost. This is a distinct shift in thinking from days past.
Thought is dangerous to the power structure of our society. Hence we are consistently distracted from it by entertainment and consumption. The education system itself naturally upholds certain subjects as more important than others. So sciences and maths are given more attention than the humanities, art and music, as subjects which are more likely to lead to economic employment.
Even if you manage to escape and regain some shred of creativity after the attempts to institutionalise you and you decide you want to be a writer and a lawyer and an economist, society just doesn’t believe in the idea that any individual can be a polymath. We live in the age of the cult of the monomath. Knowing things makes you weird, not powerful. We have an engrained idea about our purpose and what we should all be like. Monomaths are not just the new standard, but the only realistic possibility, writing off those who wish to specialise in a number of areas as ‘dabblers’ as described by Edward Carr of The Economist.
We need to understand the richness of human capacity. We are gifted with intellect and we must use that gift wisely. As humans we are the cause of the state of our world and the destruction and suffering we see. As Jonas Salk described: “if all the insects were to disappear from the earth then within 50 years all life on earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish.”
‘We were born with wings,
You were born with potential
You were born with goodness and trust
You were born with ideals and dreams
You were born with greatness’
Rumi.
Image from: http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/edward-carr/last-days-polymath
About the author
Romanna Bint Abubaker
Romanna Bint Abubaker is the CEO and founder of Qatar Consulting Group. She is also the founder of @ConciergeLon and @FundArena, which will soon be launching. She is an entrepreneur, barrister, banker, travel junkie, foodie and a big believer.
Romanna Bint Abubaker is the CEO and founder of Qatar Consulting Group. She is also the founder of @ConciergeLon and @FundArena, which will soon be launching. She is an entrepreneur, barrister, banker, travel junkie, foodie and a big believer.
18 Comments
Romanna Bint Abubaker
Opiya,
Many thanks for taking the time to read it and for your much valued feedback.
I entirely agree with regards home schooling and have recently seen many people move towards this. I too think unless a real alternative comes to the Education ‘Market’ home schooling is the best method.
I know of many people who were home schooled and excelled with MBA’s and top senior positions in our Corporate World by their early twenties.
The system just isn’t working and I feel a great sadness about this loss of potential. Together we really can improve our situation.
Romanna
Opiya
Thanks Romanna, I sincerely believe homeschooling is the best option in the current climate and have seen sufficient success stories to feel confident about it. My only concern is that it can be quite taxing for myself and my career elsewhere – so I’m going to have to figure a solution to that one!
Ahmed
Absolutely brilliant article. Really surprised that this discussion hasn’t come up far more often in the mainstream press – possibly because mainstream media itself helps institutionalise notions of ‘speciality’ and ‘expertise’. Fantastic work Romanna.
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Aaron Garland
Romanna,
Well said and as a person who works within the aforementioned ‘educational’ system I can’t agree more with your thesis. It is one that I’ve been flirting with for the past five or six years. Probably the single most eloquent voice on this matter on this side of the pond is John Taylor Gatto whose magnum opus on the subject “The Underground History of American Education” is online for anyone to read (http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/underground/toc1.htm). More recently the group at the website Tragedy and Hope have put together a five hour interview with Gatto that cuts to the chase (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQiW_l848t8). By the way, this former New York State Teacher of the Year is the one who is credited with coining the phrase “dumbing down” in reference to the unfortunate outcome of public schooling.
I could go on and on but realize that this isn’t the format for such so I’ll conclude with another point. The late, great British novelist, poet, businesswoman, et al. Dorothy Sayers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_L._Sayers) wrote a very powerful essay called The Lost Tools of Learning which she delivered to an audience at Oxford in 1947 (http://www.gbt.org/text/sayers.html). In it she speaks of the seven liberal arts and identifies the trivium and quadrivium as the arts that make up the seven. There is something of a groundswell occurring on this country calling for a return to studying the trivium especially. Two good portals on the web for this are Jarrett Sanchez’s Trivium Binder (http://triviumbinder.blogspot.com/) and Jan Irvin’s Trivium Education (http://www.triviumeducation.com/).
Romanna, I’m very encouraged that you’re making waves about the benefits of homeschool, etc… Keep up the good work.
Cheers,
Aaron
Opiya
Hi Aaron,
Thanks so much for signposting Dorothy Sayers and offering further info on the Trivium. I’ve been seeking further material on this. I honestly believe we need to return to this system of education if we intend to educate children in a manner to secure a holistic and advanced development of their mind.
I’m also a great advocate of homeschooling – apart from protecting the child from the degenerative affects of modern education, it is a brilliant way to ensure their learning is more efficient and tailored to their specific needs rather than standardised.
Romanna Bint Abubaker
Aaron,
Many thanks for taking the time to read the piece and your feedback. I am also a great fan of Dorothy Sayer’s essay – and am in complete agreement with all the issues she raises.
It does seem odd that we just don’t discuss our system of Education sufficiently – especially given this is the only opportunity we have – once children leave school it is too late. Education is as Dorothy Sayers’ says – something we have all experienced and we all understand – whether we are educators or not. It is also the single most important element of our society – the children we are educating today are those who will run our Country tomorrow. Yet – we rarely question/discuss this fundamental pillar of our society.
A quote which I think sums up the importance of Education –
“For if you [the rulers] suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves [and outlaws] and then punish them”
-Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), Utopia, Book 1
Thank you for the links with regards John Taylor Gatto, I must say I haven’t come across him but will certainly watch the video!
Many thanks again,
Romanna
Romanna Bint Abubaker
Also, a quick note for everyone who is wondering what qualification I have in Education and/or interest. I would reiterate – Professional teachers or not – we all experienced the education system at some point and therefore all have value to add on this discussion.
However, I am also managing a project to launch an innovative (in today’s version of education) model school, which will in my view address a number of the limitations in the Education system today. I have therefore spent considerable time researching the area and hope to therefore not come across as someone who is merely passing fleeting comment on a subject I have little direct involvement in.
I would hope to be part of the change in our system – and recognition is always the first step to change. All the sources raised by those commenting and those I mention indicate clearly that we are starting to see recognition of the problem. I don’t think we will have to wait to long to see a critical mass leading to change!
Ever the Optimist – Romanna!
Aaron Garland
Romanna,
I remain as optimistic as you and strongly support your ventures into the educational system. How I anticipate the gathering critical mass that will demand something much better than what we’ve got.
That quote by Thomas Moore deserves really close scrutiny. Speaking for myself, I have suffered for many years from a myopic perspective that was so ensnared in the details of each tree I had no idea of what the forest looked like. To this day the factory model of schooling, even in alternative settings such as where I work, forges ahead daily, relentlessly, and reactive with no awareness that we are suffering our children to be ill-educated and their manners corrupted. If I were to be cynical I would say that the “brilliance” of the current design is that it hires well-intentioned people, who have big hearts but no courage (I know, a real oxymoron) to do as they are told.
But we need to focus on solutions and I’m thrilled that you are working on one yourself. I’m sure you’ve taken a look at Summerhill in the UK (http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/). We’ve got our own Sudbury Valley School (http://www.sudval.org/) in Massachusetts that has inspired a number of start-ups around the country. I’m not aware of a school that is founded upon the basis of the classical liberal arts, i.e., the Trivium and Quadrivium, but I believe that there was a time when many of the private boarding schools in the US adhered quite closely to that model (ex: St’ Paul’s, Groton, Trinity, Andover, etc.) My grandfather was sent over to Eaton for his schooling. However, I’m going out on a limb but I’d say conscientious homeschoolers and innovative small schools are going to do classical liberal arts education the best.
On a final note, when you have a moment, check out the books by Susan Wise Bauer, especially “The Well Trained Mind“ and “A Well Educated Mind.” She looks at the big picture and has become a very useful resource for homeschoolers. Then, if you can wade past all the Christian pedagogy a book rich in useful material is “Teaching the Trivium” by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn.
I admire what you are doing Romanna.
Romanna Bint Abubaker
Aaron, I can’t thank you enough for the great resources and support.
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ck
Very true, I think you’ve really hit on something Romanna. I found having to focus in on one field quite limiting through my studies – having a passion for art, writing, science and to a lesser extent languages, I excelled in my scientific degree. However it was always clear that those whose skills lay in maths were seen as being ‘smarter’, whereas there were many of us whose other skills lay outside our course, and we would have to make our own steps to hone and use these.
Now studying medicine, I’m all the more aware that I’ll be made to narrow down, yet again, and focus on a field. I’m terrified I’ll pick ‘the wrong one’, and that I won’t get a chance to try the things I’d like to try, and develop the skills I know I can excel at. And I plan on working hard to ensure my other strengths won’t go to waste. What’s sad is that it’s hard to know how to do that, and that I may well have to make peace with my other strengths just being ‘a little something on the side’. It should be easier to excel at more than one thing than it currently is. It should be something that we encourage and support: for people who can approach a topic with expertise from more than one angle can come up with a completely different perspective. How often do we complain that a writer or a journalist or a politician, or an artist (or whoever) just doesn’t know what it’s like in the field? And yet we discourage those actually in the field from having the experience and time to put that straight…
Krishna
ramonna, interesting pov.
Greg
Ramonna ~ I so love the way your mind works… Sir Ken Robinson is a fabulous author/speaker and his books are a must read…
I looked into Gatto and he seems to be on the same page too…(thanks Aaron)
I also would add that in the 16th Century, the western world was starting to rediscover the polymath.
I mention Dr John Dee, Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Walter Raleigh, Galileo and the awakening that occurred through the works of Will – I am Shake Speare.
Was that because the free thinkers were being allowed to “think” and educate in new ways! Through art I dare say..
Then the great polymath and Founding Father of the USA ~ Benjamin Franklin.
You article is great and I will share with heaps of humans .. Greg
Amir
I am sympathetic to this article but one point does strike me as requiring more argument: the capacity of the human mind. If we return to greater breadth in education something, surely, will have to give: depth.
It is all very well having polymaths in society but we need specialists too. Has increased specialism brought no advantages?
Maybe a few polymaths in our society will be a good thing but a whole society with an overly broad education? I don’t think that is necessarily a good thing.
Perhaps this discussion should be framed in terms of making people more ‘cultured’ (at the risk of sounding snobby) i.e. educating people to have an appreciation of various arts and sciences while being able to contribute in a significant way to society by being a specialist. The idea here is to ‘output’ people from the educational system who can appreciate the differing vocations that people choose and the differing ways people search for meaning in life…in addition to providing them with the broad horizons they need for enriching their own lives.
kate dircksen
I’ll immediately take hold of your rss as I can not to find your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service.
Do you have any? Kindly let me know so that I could subscribe.
Thanks.
Brilliant article, Romanna, I couldn’t have put it better myself. The state of modern education makes the case for home schooling more convincing by the day. I really wouldn’t want my children to go through the same system! Even I recall my childhood in primary school where I consistently was top of my year, had exceptional memory, wrote poetry, drew pictures and designs out of imagination and processed everything from books and cartoons to the documentaries my parents watched. These days it all seems a distant memory – it’s not even possible to appreciate literature in that same imaginative way anymore. As we get older we are trained merely to produce economically, whilst our innate abilities are dulled beyond recognition.