Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with polymath

No, wearing Armani doesn't make you refined

titantoppler — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:26:46 -0800

What specific traits do you look for in a person that say that s/he is refined? So I was reading about polymaths yesterday, and while these polymaths (or a further development being a Renaissance Man) excelled intellectually, I'm wondering about the non-intellectual side of things as well.

What qualities in a person do you consider to be the most desirable, or show his/her refinement?

I'm looking for things that can be developed, not things that people are born with, so a natural good looks or sexual energy are out, but things like honor and erudition are in. At the risk of sounding a sexist, the term that springs to mind is gentleman

Sorry if this question is vague, but that's the best I could come up with.

Is it possible to be a polymath these days?

dcrocha — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:20:40 -0800

Is it possible for somebody to be a true Renaissance Man these days, or has hyperspecialization taken us all as hostages forever?

Help me live in the Tower of Babel

ikahime — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:09:40 -0800

LanguageFilter: Having a little bit of a few languages under my belt, I'd like to add more/get better at the ones I know. Is it generally a better idea to master one language before proceeding on to another, or would it be good to study, say, 3 languages at once from the ground up? How about grouping like families of languages (i.e. learn italian, spanish and french together)?