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The following is a list related to the article, "Polymath." Polymaths are individuals who are noted for excelling in multiple fields or disciplines. A term often used in common parlance is "Renaissance Man," but this term is misleading as most polymaths did not live in the Renaissance and several were women. The term "polymath" is often used to describe those who excelled in both the arts and sciences. Many highly accomplished people were not polymaths, as they worked solely in one field. Also, the "math" segment of the term does not relate to whether the person has any connection to mathematics.

People with the widest range of knowledge are known as polyhistors (example Gottfried Leibniz, Plato).

Ancient and mediæval

 * Al-Farabi -- mathematician, philosopher, musician, contributions in medicine
 * Albertus Magnus -- alchemy, botany, mathematics, music theory, scholasticism, theology, and zoology
 * Archimedes -- mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, physicist and engineer
 * Aristotle -- philosopher, physicist, poet, zoologist, and biologist
 * Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius -- contributions in math, music, philosophy, and politics
 * Avicenna -- physician, philosopher, and scientist
 * Averroës -- physician, mathematician, Islamic law
 * Chanakya -- politician, economist, philosopher, scholar
 * Roger Bacon -- mathematician, alchemist, philosopher, scientist
 * Bede -- science, history, translation, literature, and theology
 * Biruni -- greatest contributions in mathematics, philosophy, medicine and science.
 * Abbas Ibn Firnas -- chemist, inventor, astronomer, physicist
 * Ge Hong -- philosopher, poet, alchemist, and biographer
 * Hildegard of Bingen -- contributions in theology, musical composition, medicine, botany, and constructed language
 * Hypatia -- mathematician, philosopher, and teacher
 * Imhotep -- poet, astronomer, mathematician, physician, architect, and artist
 * Caius Julius Cæsar -- general, legislator, orator, author, engineer, pontifex maximus
 * Omar Khayyam -- poet, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher
 * Maimonides (RaMBaM) -- physician, rabbi, and philosopher
 * Nicolas Oresme -- economist, mathematician, physicist, theologian, translator, and musicologist
 * Ouyang Xiu -- statesman, historian, essayist, and poet
 * Plato -- Philosopher, poet, political theorist, mathematician, wrestler, educator
 * Michael Psellus -- historian, philosopher, philologist, scientist, and poet.
 * Ptolemy -- geographer, astronomer, and astrologer
 * Pythagoras -- mathematician and philosopher
 * Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi, Razi or Rhazes -- physician, chemist and philosopher
 * Shen Kua -- mathematician, engineer, general, and geologist
 * Wang Anshi -- economist, statesman, and poet
 * Wang Wei -- poet, musician, painter, and statesman
 * Zhang Heng -- poet, astronomer, mathematician, inventor, and artist

Renaissance

 * Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa -- magician, theologian, soldier, legal expert, astronomer, alchemist, and writer
 * Leone Battista Alberti -- painter, poet, philosopher, cryptographer, musician and architect
 * Francis Bacon -- philosopher, statesman, spy, essayist
 * Caspar Bartholin the Elder -- anatomy, theology, medicine, oration
 * Menasseh ben Israel -- rabbi, scholar, diplomat, and printer/publisher
 * Rudjer Boskovic -- contributions in mathematics. physics, philosophy
 * Sir Thomas Browne -- physician, philosopher, literature, medicine, religion, science
 * Jan Brożek — mathematician, physician, astronomer, first biographer of Copernicus.
 * Gerolamo Cardano -- mathematician, physician, natural philosopher, astrologer, inventor, cryptographer, gambler, chess player.
 * Nicolaus Copernicus -- astronomer, mathematician, economist, physician, lawyer, cleric, administrator, military leader, classics scholar.
 * James Crichton -- fencer, soldier, musician, polyglot, and debater
 * John Dee -- mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, occultist
 * Albrecht Dürer -- printer, painter, geometry, fortification, and mathematician
 * Desiderius Erasmus -- theologian, paedagogue, linguist &amp; philologist, historian, exegete
 * Huang Zongxi -- political theorist, philosopher, and soldier (China was not in a Renaissance, but he fits here chronologically)
 * Athanasius Kircher -- egyptology, geology, and music theory
 * Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz -- ecclesiastical administrator, mathematician, engineer, inventor, linguist, theologian, moralist
 * Nostradamus -- poet, doctor, sculptor, prophet
 * Garcia de Orta -- physician, botanist, natural philosopher, artist, politician
 * William Petty -- scientist, entrepreneur, physician, and philosopher
 * Christine de Pisan -- biographert, moralist, poet, proto-feminist thinker
 * Giambattista della Porta -- cryptographer, botanist, astronomer, writer
 * Leonardo da Vinci -- engineer, physician, painter, inventor, architect, musician, composer, astrologer, alchemist
 * Theodor Zwinger -- doctor, ethicist, linguist
 * Girolamo Maggi -- scholar, jurist, poet, mathematician, military engineer, urban planner and naturalist

A to J

 * Jeremy Bentham -- jurist, inventor, philosopher, mathematician, economist, and political commentator
 * William Blake -- poet, painter, engraver, visionary mystic
 * Alexander Borodin -- composer and chemist
 * Rudjer Boscovich -- physicist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, diplomat, and poet
 * Henry Brougham -- Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain who did work on porism(math), theology, and other areas.
 * Sir Richard Francis Burton -- explorer, linguist, anthropologist, diplomat and swordsman
 * Sir George Cayley -- naturalist, physical scientist, engineer, inventor and politician
 * Émilie du Châtelet -- physicist, mathematician, author, translator, singer
 * Temple Chevallier -- astronomy, meteorology, math, translation, theology
 * Samuel Taylor Coleridge -- poet, critic, theologian, political writing, and philosopher
 * Marquis de Condorcet -- mathematician, philosopher, and political scientist
 * Erasmus Darwin -- physician, inventor, botanist, and poet
 * René Descartes -- math, neuroscience, and philosophy
 * Liu E -- writer, musician, physician and entrepreneur
 * Thomas Alva Edison -- inventor, entrepreneur, publisher (co-founded Science; phonograph and motion pictures).
 * Leonhard Euler -- mathematician, physicist, economist, music theory
 * Benjamin Franklin -- politician, physicist, entrepreneur, printer, inventor, diplomat and writer.
 * Julian Fontana -- pianist, lawyer, author, and entrepreneur
 * Carl Friedrich Gauss -- mathematician, astronomer, physicist
 * Johann Wolfgang von Goethe -- novelist, poet, philosopher, scientist, mineralogist, essayist, literary critic
 * Jacob Grimm -- linguist, folklorist, lawyer, antiquarian, dictionary compiler, and librarian
 * Bartolomeu de Gusmão -- philologist, inventor, naturalist
 * Alexander Hamilton -- political theorist, statesman, soldier
 * G. W. F. Hegel -- philosopher, historian, art theorist, theologian, jurist
 * Thomas Hobbes -- political theorist, historian, optical scientist, translator, classicist
 * E.T.A. Hoffmann -- novelist, judge, composer, conductor, pianist, caricaturist, scenic designer
 * Robert Hooke -- experimental scientist, natural philosopher, biologist, physicist, architect, inventor
 * Alexander von Humboldt -- ethnographer, anthropologist, physicist, geologist, mineralogist, botanist, vulcanologist, geographer, climatologist, explorer and oceanographer
 * James Hutton -- physician, chemist, physicist, botanist, philosopher, linguist, geologist, farmer
 * Christiaan Huygens -- natural philosopher, horologist, astronomer, mathematician, inventor
 * Sor Juana -- poet, composer, classical scholar
 * Charles Thomas Jackson -- geologist, chemist, physicist, physician, inventor
 * Thomas Jefferson -- politician, statesman, architect, cryptographer, agriculturist, archaeologist, writer.

K to S

 * Alexandre Kojeve -- philosopher, jurist, politician, intellectual historian
 * Samuel Pierpont Langley -- astronomer, physicist, inventor, aviator
 * Hedy Lamarr -- actress, model, cryptographer
 * Gottfried Leibniz -- philosopher, mathematician, logician, scientist, engineer, historian, lawyer, diplomat, librarian, philologist, theologian, poet
 * Mikhail Lomonosov -- literature, education, and science
 * Thomas Babington Macaulay -- poet, historian and politician
 * Thomas Malthus -- preacher, mathematician, economist, demographer
 * John Stuart Mill -- philosopher, political writer, economist
 * Sir Samuel Morland -- mathematician, Latin, diplomat, spy, inventor
 * Paul Morphy -- lawyer, chess player, philosopher, author
 * Samuel Morse -- artist, politician, inventor, educator, cryptographer
 * John Muir -- environmentalist, inventor, engineer, and geologist.
 * Sir Isaac Newton -- mathematician, physicist, alchemist, theologian, economist, historian, inventor
 * Florence Nightingale -- statistics, nursing, and writing
 * Blaise Pascal -- mathematician, physicist, theologian, philosopher (logic, probability, and ethics)
 * Charles Willson Peale -- artist, naturalist, inventor, author
 * Charles Peirce -- philosopher, logician, mathematician, semiotician, geodesist,
 * François-André Danican Philidor -- composer, chess and draughts player, author
 * Rufus Porter -- painter, inventor, editor
 * Adolphe Quetelet -- astronomer, mathematician, sociologist
 * Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz -- botany, biology, languages
 * José Rizal -- artist, educator, linguist, naturalist, physician, social scientist
 * Salvator Rosa -- painter, poet, philosopher
 * Adam Smith -- jurist, (founding) economist, psychologist, historian, theologian, literary critic
 * Stanisław Staszic -- philosopher, statesman, geologist, poet, priest, and writer
 * Howard Staunton -- chess writer and world chess champion, actor, Shakespearean scholar, educationalist
 * Rudolf Steiner -- philosopher, literary scholar, architect, playwright, educator, social thinker, mystic
 * Nicolas Steno -- anatomist, geologist, bishop
 * Emanuel Swedenborg -- anatomist, astronomer, inventor, mystic.
 * Jan Śniadecki -- mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, educator.
 * Jędrzej Śniadecki -- writer, physician, chemist, biologist.

T to Z

 * James John Garth Wilkinson -- poet, philologist, doctor, philosopher
 * Thomas Young -- prodigy, physicist, physician, linguist, egyptologist
 * William Whewell -- philosopher, theologian, historian, scientist
 * Christopher Wren -- architect, astronomer and mathematician

A to D

 * G. E. M. Anscombe -- logician, theologian, translator, classical studies
 * Otto Maria Carpeaux -- literary critic, chemist, mathematician, musicologist, political writer, screenplayer, essayist, physician, sociologist, historian
 * George Antheil -- composer, pianist, inventor, writer, endocrinologist
 * Isaac Asimov -- science-fiction author, non-fiction author, biochemist, science essayist, bible scholar
 * Gregory Bateson -- anthropologist, social scientist, linguist
 * Alan Bean - astronaut and painter
 * Alexander Graham Bell -- scientist, inventor, medical researcher, aviation pioneer, co-founder of the National Geographic Society
 * Eric Temple Bell -- mathematician, biographer, science fiction writer
 * Kenneth E. Boulding -- economist, educator, poet, religious mystic, systems scientist, and interdisciplinary philosopher
 * Jacob Bronowski -- physicist, biologist, writer
 * Alexander Calder -- artist, author, designer carpets, inventor, kineticist kinetic art, lithographer, mechanical engineer, painter, set designer, designer tapestries
 * George Washington Carver -- botanist, musician, artist, orator, athletic trainer and student leader
 * Ernst Cassirer -- historian of philosophy, art, mathematics, science, psychology, and philosopher
 * Billy Childish -- musician, painter, poet, writer
 * Winston Churchill -- politician, journalist, author, historian, soldier, painter
 * Johnny Clegg -- musician, anthropologist, author
 * Jean Cocteau -- painter, poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, filmmaker
 * Elbert Frank Cox -- math, physics, violin, languages
 * Marva Dawn -- author, musician, theologian
 * Charles Dodgson -- logician, mathematician, photographer, children's writer, poet

E to K

 * Francis Ysidro Edgeworth -- economist, mathematical statistician, barrister
 * Thomas Alva Edison -- versatile inventor, entrepreneur, publisher (co-founded Science).
 * Max Euwe -- world chess champion, mathematician, author
 * Moshé Feldenkrais -- engineer, physicist, judo expert, physical therapist
 * Richard Feynman -- physicist, mathematician, writer, and musician
 * Francis Galton -- anthropologist, eugenicist, tropical explorer, geographer, inventor, meteorologist, proto-geneticist, psychometrician, statistician
 * Buckminster Fuller -- designer, metal-tradesman, architect, inventor, mathematician, spaceship earth theoretician
 * Murray Gell-Mann -- prodigy, professor of physics, international advisor on the environment, authority on the origin of languages, arms control and foreign relations, Nobel Prize winner
 * Hossein Gol-e-Golab -- botanist, musician, poet, translator; earned degrees in law &amp; political science, but never practiced law
 * Piet Hein -- scientist, mathematician, inventor, author, poet, philosopher
 * Douglas Hofstadter -- physicist, cognitive scientist, author, composer, poet, philosopher
 * Howard Hughes -- industrialist, inventor, aviation pioneer, film producer
 * Zora Neale Hurston -- historian, anthropologist, novelist,
 * Aldous Huxley -- writer, parapsychologist, philosopher, social theorist and botanist
 * William James -- (founding) psychologist, medical scholar, philosopher
 * William Stanley Jevons -- economist, logician, scientific methodology, (19th c.) computing engineer
 * Noor Inayat Khan -- international spy, princess, children's author

L to R

 * Jaron Lanier -- computer scientist, inventor of the term "virtual reality", musician, artist, futurist
 * Edward Lasker -- inventor, engineer, chess player, go player, author
 * Emanuel Lasker -- world chess champion, mathematician, philosopher, bridge player, author
 * Hugh Laurie -- actor, comedian, musician, athlete, novelist, screenwriter
 * Marshall McLuhan -- founder of media ecology, communications theorist, scholar of literature, popular culture and philosophy
 * Jonathan Miller -- theatre and opera director, physician, writer, performer, artist
 * Gabriela Mistral -- poet, educator, diplomat
 * Daniel Mullen -- systems architect, writer, political activist, businessman
 * F. Story Musgrave -- astronaut, physician, poet, businessman, author
 * John von Neumann -- mathematician, physicist, chemist, economist, computer scientist
 * Walter J. Ong -- communication theorist, literature, media studies, psychology, psychiatry, philosophy, theology
 * Ignacy Jan Paderewski -- pianist, Prime Minister, diplomat
 * Gordon Parks -- photographer, author, filmmaker (a. producer, director, screenwriter), composer, poet, painter, ballet director, activist
 * Pier Paolo Pasolini -- philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, journalist, actor, painter
 * John Robinson Pierce -- telecommunications pioneer, computer musician, science fiction author
 * Walter Pitts -- cognitive scientist, mathematical-logician, philosopher
 * Iwo Cyprian Pogonowski -- industrial engineer, lexicographer, historian.
 * Michael Polanyi -- physical chemist, philosopher, theologian, economist
 * Kukrit Pramoj -- author, economist, historian, novelist, philosopher, statesman
 * Anatol Rapoport -- mathematician, psychologist, pianist, general systems theorist
 * Peter Radtke -- actor, playwright, ethicist, languages interpreter
 * Satyajit Ray -- film director, screenplay writer, composer, typesetting designer, children fiction writer, editor, advertising pioneer
 * Paul Robeson -- athlete, actor, singer, writer, political activist
 * Theodore Roosevelt -- author, naturalist, hunter, soldier, politician, bureaucrat, journalist
 * Murray Rothbard -- economist, historian, political activist, essayist, philosopher, mathematician, playwright
 * Bertrand Russell -- mathematician, philosopher, writer, political activist

S to Z

 * Marilyn vos Savant -- mathematics popularization, cardiovascular disease research, economics, and playwright
 * Edwin Schlossberg -- designer, historian, artist, computer expert
 * Albert Schweitzer -- philosopher, virtuoso organist (musician), humanitarian, theologian, physician
 * George Seddon AM -- environmental planner and scientist, academic, author, historian
 * William James Sidis -- mathematics, law, Native American history, psychology, and language
 * Herbert Simon -- cognitive psychologist, computer scientist, economist and philosopher
 * Sam Sloan -- chess master, sociologist, writer, translator, stockbroker, historian, genealogist, politician, reporter and taxi driver
 * Jan Christian Smuts -- philosopher, field marshal, biologist, social reformer, Prime Minister of South Africa
 * Ben Stein -- lawyer, economist, writer, White House speech writer, actor, comedian, game show host, political commentator
 * Rabindranath Tagore -- poet, Brahmo (reformed Hindu), philosopher, artist, dramatist, musician, novelist, and songwriter
 * Fiorella Terenzi -- astrophysicist, author, and musician
 * Bal Gangadhar Tilak -- Philosopher, Mathematician ,Politician humanitarian, theologian, Historian
 * James Tiptree, Jr (Alice Sheldon) -- painter, art critic, poet, CIA operative, experimental psychologist, science fiction author
 * Ludwig Wittgenstein -- cognitive philosopher, mathematical logician, architect, aeronautical engineer, composer
 * Carol Wojyla (Pope John Paul II) -- philosopher, playwright, actor, multilingualist, athlete
 * Iannis Xenakis -- architect, composer

Legendary/Culture Heroes
Note: Some legendary figures might be based on actual polymaths whose history is not well recorded. They do not belong in the main list because their existence is uncertain, but they are mentioned in case elements of their story prove true.


 * Atonga, Polynesian culture hero noted for starting music and canoeing
 * Daedalus, architect, inventor, craftsman
 * Odin, Norse deity of war and wisdom, known for his poetry, the study of magic, and credited with invention of writing.
 * Fu Hsi, Chinese culture hero who was said to have started writing, fishing, metallurgy and law
 * Sherlock Holmes, fictional but based on a mix of Joseph Bell and Arthur Conan Doyle
 * Sundiata Keita, semi-historical legendary founder of the Mali Empire whose tales sometimes gave him a variety of skills. (Magician, warrior, scholar, etc)
 * Quetzalcoatl, ancient Mesoamerican ruler considered the originator of the arts, poetry and all knowledge.
 * Volund, Norse, probably based off of the Greek legends of Daedalus.
 * Milo Giacomo Rambaldi, also fictional but based on Nostradamus and Leonardo da Vinci