How to Become a Renaissance Man/Woman

“Renaissance Man/Woman”, “Uomo Universale”, and “polymath” are terms that are often used interchangeably to describe a person with broad or varied knowledge or skills—covering both arts and science–and who strives to develop their capacities to their full potential. This ideal developed in Italy during the Renaissance, a period that spanned roughly from the 14th through the 17th century, from the notion expressed by Leon Battista Alberti– architect, painter, poet, author, scientist, mathematician, and skilled horseman– that “a man can do all things if he will.”

That is, men and women should seek to develop their skills in different areas of knowledge, as well as in physical development, social accomplishments, and in the arts. By following the example of famous polymaths, you too can become a Renaissance man or woman.

Some of the best known Uomini Universali are the six men below:

Aristotle (384–322 BC)

The Renaissance, as its name implies, was the rebirth or recovery of ancient learning, specifically, of the Greek and Roman cultures. Above all other writers of antiquity, Plato and Aristotle were studied intensively by the upper and middle ranks of society in Renaissance Italy.

Aristotle was born in Stagira, Macedonia in 384 BC. Charles Van Doren explains in his book, A History of Knowledge: Past, Present, and Future, that Artistotle was sent to the Academy in Athens in 367 BC and spent twenty years there as Plato’s most famous pupil. Plato, in turn, had immortalized his teacher, Socrates, in his work, “Great Dialogues of Plato.”

Later, Aristotle would tutor Alexander, the son of King Philip of Macedonia who went on to become Alexander the Great, for three years. Aristotle is credited with inventing the science of logic, and he made many useful observations about natural things, politics, ethics, and morality. His book, “Organon” deals with the laws of thought, with logic, and with philosophical method.

A good mentoring relationship will provide you with knowledge and expertise in any field you choose to excel at. Like Aristotle, look for the experts in your area of interest and learn all you can from them. If you don’t have immediate access to experts in your chosen field, read any books they’ve written and gain the necessary knowledge that way. In addition, once you become an expert, it’s your turn to pass your expertise on to someone else.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)

Leonardo Da Vinci was endowed with beauty, grace, physical strength, a fine singing voice, and talent in abundance; he was a painter, sculptor, engineer, astronomer, anatomist, biologist, geologist, physicist, architect, philosopher, actor, singer, musician, and humanist. In addition, he was a man of soaring imagination and was entranced by human nature.

It is said that while Leonardo was executing a painting of the Last Supper for the Dominicans of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, the prior kept pressing Leonardo to hurry up and finish the work. The prior, puzzled by Leonardo’s habit of sometimes spending half a day contemplating what he had done, complained to the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza.

Giorgio Vasari indicates in his book, The Lives of the Artists, that when questioned by the duke, Leonardo explained that “men of genius sometimes accomplish most when they work the least; for, he added, they are thinking out inventions and forming in their minds the perfect ideas which they subsequently express and reproduce with their hands.”

Michael Gelb explains in his book, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day, that Leonardo was an innovator, he was curious, he was an experimenter, and he was always seeking new experiences. His notebooks are full of sketches in which he tries to take nature apart in order to understand it, including drawings of human anatomy—it is said that he dissected corpses to be better able to draw the human body—, detailed flowers, and birds in flight.

There are many lessons you can learn from Leonardo da Vinci: use your imagination to come up with solutions to problems; take time for contemplation; develop an appreciation of music, painting, architecture, and sculpture; study human nature; be curious; experiment; also, don’t simply believe what others tell you, go see for yourself.

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543)

(“Toru? – Nicolas Copernicus Monument”; courtesy of Arrnau)

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish mathematician, astronomer, physician, classical scholar, translator, Catholic cleric, jurist, governor, military leader, diplomat and economist. At the time of Copernicus it was widely believed that the sun revolved around the earth.  Copernicus worked for many years on his theory that the planets in our solar system revolved around the sun.  Charles Van Doren indicates that Copernicus studied all the old Greek astronomical texts he could find, and it was there that he discovered that a rotating earth and a heliocentric system had been proposed by a number of Greek astronomers.  Right before his death, Copernicus published his work, titled “De revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium”, in which he set forth his heliocentric theory of the planets.

Follow Copernicus’ example and study everything that you can in your chosen field.  Furthermore, review the contributions of your predecessors and contemporaries, criticize what you believe to be wrong, adopt what you believe to be valuable, and set forth your own theories.

Galileo Galilei (1564–1642)

(“Galileo Galilei Statue in Florence”; courtesy of FrogMiller)

Galileo Galilei was an Italian scientist, philosopher, and, as Charles Van Doren explains, he was the leading mathematical physicist of his age.   He also excelled at lute playing and painting.  In 1609 he learned of the recent invention of the telescope and proceeded to make a telescope of his own and improved it to the point that it was better than any existing instrument.  In March 1610 he published a 24-page pamphlet called “The Starry Messenger”, in which he described what he saw when he turned his telescope toward the sky.  In addition, in his pamphlet he announced his sympathy for the Copernicus system.  “The Starry Messenger” astonished and troubled the learned world.

Daniel J. Boorstin, author of The Discoverers explains the importance of Galileo’s discovery as follows: “Without the telescope the heliocentric theory might long have remained an interesting but unpersuasive hypothesis. Now the telescope made all the difference . . . Astronomy was transformed from a preserve of arcane theories in learned language into a public experience.” Even though his ideas caused much controversy, Galileo continued publishing works in which he defended the theory that the earth was not the center of the planetary system. However, at the age of 70 and gravely ill, Galileo Galilei was called before Pope Urban VIII and was condemned to be silent.  In the long run, of course, Galileo won.

Remember that new ideas are often violently opposed at first. Follow Galileo’s example and don’t be afraid of controversy.  If you know that you’re right hold your ground regardless of attacks from critics.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832)

(“Goethe SM”; courtesy of tabootenente)

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “the master spirit of the German people”, was a scientist, philosopher, novelist, and critic, as well as a poet. “Faust”—Goethe’s masterwork–was begun in the 1770s and completed nearly 60 years later. Charles Van Doren indicates that “Goethe, knowing that the work would require of him all of his imagination, knowledge, and experience, therefore gave his whole life to it.”

What is your life’s masterwork?  What will require all of your imagination, knowledge and experience?

Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)

(“Thomas Jefferson – grave marker”; courtesy of deane_crilley)

Thomas Jefferson’s list of achievements is as long as incredibly varied.  Jefferson was a philosopher: he was a champion of representative democracy and the rights of man; supporter of religious freedom; advocate of public education; and supporter of equal rights and education for women.  He was a also a lawyer, a diplomat–U.S. Minister to France–, author of the Declaration of Independence, Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State under George Washington, Vice-President under John Adams, and two-term President of the United States.  He designed Monticello–his home–, as well as the University of Virginia.  In addition, he played the violin, he was an inventor, an accomplished horseman, a writer, and a pioneer in scientific farming.  Jefferson’s collection of books was such that when the Library of Congress burned down in 1814 during the War of 1812, he sold his collection to the government so that the library could be rebuilt.

At a dinner honoring Nobel laureates, John F. Kennedy is quoted as having said: “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together in the White House—with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”

What can you invent to help make this world a better place?  What injustice do you see that you can help make right?  Add to the knowledge of the world: once you’ve learned everything that you can in your area of expertise, and performed all of the experiments you can think of, write a book and share what you’ve learned with the world at large.  In addition, learn a second language and seek to cultivate an athletic ability, whether it be jogging, playing tennis, rock climbing, and so on.

Conclusion

Most people’s business cards include their name and a single line underneath describing what they do, such as:attorney at law, obstetrician, or interior designer.  Imagine a business card that can say all of the following about you as well: published author, accomplished public speaker, athlete, guitar player, autodidact, defends the rights of the underprivileged, philosopher, contributor to the knowledge of the world, and inventor.  There’s a man/woman of the Renaissance inside each of us waiting for us to live up to our full potential.

(“Plato & Aristotle”; courtesy of Muli Koppel)

(“Leonardo da Vinci”; courtesy of _ Krystian PHOTOSynthesis (wild-thriving))

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