What is Polymathy?

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Polymathy is an umbrella term encompassing a family of related constructs that describe broad, deep, and integrated engagement with knowledge, where knowledge is understood in its broadest sense, including theoretical understanding, practical expertise, lived experience, and other forms of human knowing (Root-Bernstein et al., 1995; Root-Bernstein & Root-Bernstein, 2004, 2020; Burke, 2012, 2020; Araki, 2018, 2020, 2025; Araki & Cotellessa, 2020).

Depending on the context, it may refer to a person’s knowledge, accomplishments, way of life, disposition, orientation, or developmental process. These meanings are intrinsically related but are not identical, which explains why definitions of polymathy often appear to differ while referring to different aspects of the same phenomenon.

At its broadest, polymathy may refer to:

Knowledge: the possession of substantial and integrated knowledge across multiple domains (see, e.g., Burke, 2012).
Accomplishments: a body of work demonstrating significant contributions across multiple fields (see, e.g., Cassandro & Simonton, 2010; Root-Bernstein et al., 1995)
Orientation: an enduring tendency to pursue, develop, integrate, and apply knowledge across domains (see, e.g., Araki, 2025).
Disposition: relatively stable psychological characteristics that make polymathic engagement more likely (see, e.g., Trofimova & Araki, 2026).
Thinking traits: a habitual style of thinking characterized by seeking connections across domains, integrating diverse ideas, and approaching problems from multiple perspectives (see, e.g., Root-Bernstein et al., 1995; Sriraman, 2009).
Way of life: a long-range commitment to breadth, depth, and integration as guiding principles for learning, work, and personal development (see, e.g., Araki, 2018).

In my own work, including my award-winning Ph.D. dissertation, I adopt this definition:

“Polymathy is a lifelong, expansive approach to the pursuit, development, and application of knowledge, distinguished by the conjunction of breadth, depth, and integration.” (Araki, 2025)

Because this definition treats breadth, depth, and integration as the three jointly defining dimensions of polymathy, it is called the Triadic Approach to Polymathy. It means that none of the three dimensions is sufficient on its own: breadth without depth tends toward dilettancy; depth without breadth leads to narrow specialization; and breadth and depth without integration lead to fragmentation and the passive accumulation of knowledge. Only their conjunction constitutes full-range polymathy in its most animated and generative expression.

References

Araki, M. (2018). Polymathy: A new outlook. Journal of Genius and Eminence, 3(1), 66–82. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5404165

Araki, M. (2020). Scientific polymathy: The end of a two-cultures era? The Lancet, 395(10218), 113–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32564-4

Araki, M. (2025). Polymathy: The Foundational Source of Creativity and Innovation [PhD Dissertation, University of Louisville]. ThinkIR: The University of Louisville’s Institutional Repository. https://doi.org/https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/4642/

Araki, M., & Cotellessa, A. J. (2020). Creative Polymathy and the COVID-19 Crisis. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 601508. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.601508

Burke, P. (2012). A social history of knowledge II: from the encyclopaedia to Wikipedia. Polity.

Burke, P. (2020). The Polymath: A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag. Yale University Press.

Cassandro, V. J., & Simonton, D. K. (2010). Versatility, openness to experience, and topical diversity in creative products: An exploratory historiometric analysis of scientists, philosophers, and writers. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 44(1), 9–26.

Root-Bernstein, R. (2009). Multiple giftedness in adults: The case of polymaths. In International handbook on giftedness (pp. 853–870). Springer.

Root-Bernstein, R., Bernstein, M., & Garnier, H. (1995). Correlations between avocations, scientific style, work habits, and professional impact of scientists. Creativity Research Journal, 8(2), 115–137. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj0802_2

Root-Bernstein, R., & Root-Bernstein, M. (2004). Artistic Scientists and Scientific Artists: The Link Between Polymathy and Creativity. In Creativity: From potential to realization (pp. 127–151). American Psychological Association.

Root-Bernstein, R., & Root-Bernstein, M. (2020). Polymathy. In M. A. Runco & S. Pritzker (Eds.), The encyclopedia of creativity (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 375–381). Elsevier, Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.23671-7

Sriraman, B. (2009). Mathematical paradoxes as pathways into beliefs and polymathy: An experimental inquiry. ZDM, 41(1), 29–38

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