I am a self-identified polymath. Although not near Da Vinci’s IQ of 210, mine ranges from 140 on a bad day to 160 on a good day. I develop skills in logic (I have a few philosophical treaties floating around), religion (I created my own religion that has members in the double digits, inspired by old Greek logos traditions), computer science (I’ve done everything from web development to working on rocket guidance systems), to painting (I specialize in oils), to writing books (I’ve written a science fiction novel as well as an RPG book), I’ve worked in biology and genetics (I bred a microbe that would decompose plastics, and helped identify the historical migration paths of the Inuit), and I’ve run for political office (sadly, didn’t get it, but running as an unknown under a third party, I did manage to get about 20% of the vote). I also dabble in physics, psychology, sociology, city planning, and economics. (Alas, I haven’t put much knowledge into investing, PR, and marketing, meaning monetization often escapes me… although I honestly don’t care, as I feel with the proper impetus… which I’m willing to help provide, we will move into a post-money economy within our lifetimes.)

I’m often reminded of an old poem with thinking about polymathy. The first part is familiar to many, but the second part is rarely known.

“I’m a Jack of all Trades, and a Master of none, but in all things, better than a Master of one.”

The thing about being a polymath is it makes knowledge multi-dimensional. All of human knowledge expands out from a single self-evident truth that we know on an instinctive level, best said by Descartes, “I think, therefore I am.” It is the one absolute truth we can be 100% certain of. (Most of his treatise after that is rubbish as it’s merely an attempt to not have the inquisition kill him, and attempts to disprove his claim generally show that they did not take the time to learn what he was saying.) The point is, that is a single point of knowledge from which all other knowledge spans. But it spreads in many different directions, like a sun spreading it’s rays in literally infinite directions (such is the nature of spheres).

Human knowledge is the same way. To specialize is to focus on a single line coming from that central point. This gives you a single dimension to work with in regards to information and data. However, knowing two fields converts your effective working area of knowledge, that have ideas that can be referenced back and forth, from a line to a plane. Adding a third field of expertise in turn moves from a plane into a volume.

Each expansion is literally a full dimension of possibility being added. Further, as knowledge spreads, again, ray-like from a central point, there is ALWAYS room for new fields to be created, and they can’t be found unless you explore between the existing rays. For example, between computer science and biology, we have the new field emerging of bioinformatics. The wealth of computational skills in bioinformatics is now occasionally being applied to structural design, creating complex and organic-looking objects that are lighter and stronger than their conventionally designed counterparts that has created a new emerging industry of architecture.

Despite people’s marketplace obsession with specialization, the opportunities to create entirely new industries has never been greater, and that is a space almost exclusively available to polymaths.