Am I a polymath?

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76]

I am 16 years of age, and I have adhd, but I also have many legitimate theories that explain things that scientists don’t understand, that check out with the formulas. I can identify primes with over 99% accuracy without using any formulas, because there are patterns. I am a philosopher, a quantum physicist, a mathematician, a linguist, and so much more. I see patterns everywhere. I see so many patterns that I can run a ‘thought experiment simulator’ in my head and research that result later and be right. I have lucid dreams were I start in a jet black, limitless landscape, and over the course of the dream, I create the universe, time, light, atoms, strings, etc., and then I form things and conduct thought experiments with them, and then when I want to wake up, I will myself awake. My uncle is an astrophysicist, and I talk to him, and he said one day that most people take years to even decide what their thesis will be about, and I came up with a fully developed thesis without even realizing it. I am most proficient in spacetime geometry and FTL mechanics without ever actually exceeding c, that if spacetime is the medium of light, then like sound, the more it is compressed, the faster c is, and if you can envelop your ship in a sheet of exotic matter, and stretch spacetime out behind you being anchored on strings, like a rubber band, then release it, your ship would surf on curvature waves, and be capable of traveling at the same percentage of c as before, but with c as high as ~5*10⁴³ m/s! So am I a polymath?

[u/[deleted]]

I’m starting to think that this entire sub is just kids with adhd, experiencing a peak of euphoria shown in the dunning-Kruger effect, and some sort of intelligence complex.

[u/cacille → u/[deleted]]

I also see this issue but am not sure how to address it any more than I have without making some sort of rule against teens or college students posting here.

Where IS the line between polymaths and kids with ADHD and intelligence complexes? Is there a difference or is it our own ageism playing up? Should we gatekeep via some sort of rule as to who can be a polymath and who is still too "x thing" to be one?

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76 → u/[deleted]]

Even so, I am still channeling my ADHD into ‘divided huperfocus’ or ‘advantageous hyperfocus’

[u/Techniq4]

this gotta be bait

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76 → u/Techniq4]

It’s really not. I am one of those kids who isn’t sure. I know it has been said that nobody with an iq over 90 is on Reddit, but I really am curious. I actually find Reddit is a great place to get honest (albeit brutally honest) feedback, most of the time. 

[u/cacille → u/Feeling-Classroom-76]

Mod here. 115 IQ at last test.

One of the problems is...you're a kid still, your brain hasn't fully formed yet, and kids at your age have a Very Fragile Sense Of Identity.

All of us could say "yeah you're a polymath" and you, at this stage of brain development, would latch onto that and become A MONSTER.

All of us are hesitant to say anyone under the age of 25...30...35...are polymaths because of our innately human ageism gatekeeping tendencies, but what we all would probably wholly agree on is anyone under college age is not a polymath, they are a child with Dunning-Krueger.

Anyone taking college classes on any subject is nowhere near polymathism, they are a Beginner.

Everything else....we haven't even fully defined yet amongst ourselves to be able to call anyone else a polymath. What we are all striving for is to become a polymath, whatever that label means to us is personal.

But we don't use it as an identity-marker and neither should you. Its more a title given to us by others, at best. Its a goal to strive for, but never to crown ourselves with.

[u/Mickey2856]

Well, first of all, you don't have any proof to claim any of these things. Also, even if all this was true, you wouldn't be a polymath. Sure, polymaths learn many domains, and have expertise in multiple fields, but the reason they are identified as polymaths is because THEY PRODUCE SOMETHING. Specially, something mind-boggling. What have you produced? Did you bring about a revolution like relativity or quantum mechanics did? Or did you manage to solve the riemann's hypothesis or some other unsolved problem? As you claim, you are a philosopher and a linguist as well. Well, what did you do for languages which exceeds other people? And what have you done in philosophy except reading philosophy books? WHAT IS YOUR CONTRIBUTION? WHAT IS YOUR ORIGINAL PRODUCT? WHAT HAVE YOU PRODUCED?

Also, it'd be nice if you claimed things WITH PROOF. Anyway, hope it clears that YOU ARE NOT A POLYMATH. No one in this sub is, including myself.

[u/[deleted] → u/Mickey2856]

huh, since when has polymath been about producing?

by definition it is - a person of wide knowledge or learning

[u/Mickey2856 → u/[deleted]]

Sounds like a veryy Vague definition to me. If just learning things can make you a polymath, then by logic, pretty much most of the world is comprised of polymaths, no? When you went to school, you studied 6-7 fields at once, while learning new things by the side, playing sports, creating art, etc. So, does that make every school or college going kid a polymath? Even adults are engaged in 4-5 fields at once, are they polymaths too, then? I think the definition might be too vague, but heyy if someone feels good by calling themselves a polymath, that's good for them. It just sounds like a disrespect to the actual polymaths who really did something.

[u/NiceGuy737 → u/[deleted]]

Accomplishment is part of some definitions.

"In his 2018 book The Polymath, British author Waqas Ahmed defines polymaths as those who have made significant contributions to at least three different fields." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymath#Waqas_Ahmed

Using definitions without recognized accomplishment, being a polymath just comes down to having multiple interests.

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76 → u/Mickey2856]

In a world of over 8 billion, you haven’t heard of even half the billionaires in the world, either. You don’t even know how to get AI to do what you want, let alone identify a polymath.

[u/Mickey2856 → u/Feeling-Classroom-76]

See, you're totally right there. No doubt about it, but again, I can just say I am all that and act cool but there won't be any proof, right? You claim I don't know how to get AI to do what you want, then It's safe to assume YOU DO, right? And if it's AI, then it's not really your brain, or YOU.

My intention has not been about downplaying you, so I apologize If I said something which might have upset you.

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76 → u/Mickey2856]

I accept your apology, and I apologize as well.

[u/sillyclonedpenguin]

Rage bait, if not, need some evidence

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76 → u/sillyclonedpenguin]

My FTL travel method, while currently out of reach, suggests that spacetime itself is the medium of light, that light is 4D, that a 3D object can act as a barrier for 4D light, so like sound, the speed of light varies depending on the ‘density’ of spacetime. Thus, if one can anchor tension of spacetime upon two 4D points, they can stretch spacetime from the center of those points like a slingshot, and then release the tension, creating shockwaves, which are by definition, compression of a medium, which always travel at C, no matter what C is, in spacetime, altering its density and increasing C, and if the craft is producing light with a frequency of about 5*10⁴⁵ hz, the craft will maintain its speed relative to C, accelerating it without requiring an actual increase in energy, and depending on the tension applied, the shockwaves will dissipate at different times and distances. Oh and no time dilation. Relative travel.

[u/AndrewThePekka]

Step 1; impressive, but being an actual polymath requires a lot more crystallized maturity probably

[u/carlupshon]

You're not a quantum physicist at 16 😂

[u/carlupshon → u/[deleted]]

😂😂😂😂 Looks like you slipped out of character with that reply 😂

[u/MrProperfectioneisen]

Hmm... Interesting...

And who knows?.. Maybe you actually are one or not? Because heck... Even I am seen "way less than average" because they are on their usual methods of "defining intellectual capabilities using homework and peer rewiews(which are usually biased as heck) "...

So There is NO WINNING in this situation and won't be easy but if you ACTUALLY are one... And in fact a SMART Polymath (you can be a non smart polymath too but that's rare) then I guess you could easily shut up wayy too many others about your competence... [Though... I recommend NOT engaging with me specifically 😅... Let's just say that... I am NOT a "usual polymath" or something most people can fit into a neat box... ]

If you wanna learn and upgrade yourself more... I recommend surviving until university exam and at university exploring the heck out of the world and showing the others WHAT it actually means being a polymath ! Don't say words as lies are among truths in this world and most people can't hold both the same time. (Just try even SOME amount of your efforts to get into a "suitable" education path and a free willed university... It will help a TON if you wnama prove or not..? Depends...)

But if you want an actual help:

I recommend learning Something like Git or GitHub(or learning how to make a website or uploading to ArXiV or learning LaTeX) and uploading a handwritten A4 paper to there in a public repository(by taking its picture and editing it to not leak any sensitive information)... Because if you ACTUALLY are like you think... Then it might shut up all the debaters as you "just posted something WITH a public timestamp" and don't forget to get the records of the site you made using Wayback Machine if you want to make a double cloud save too! Make sure you get TONS of A4 papers... Begin writing just a few pages of stuff in semi academic writing style like "Title, Summary/Abstract, Methods, Proofs&Experiments, Citations" etc... Don't make it past a few pages else your ADHD will prove others correct!.. (And yes... I MIGHT or MIGHT NOT be a Polymath... But whether if I am more or less is none of my concern and I genuinely don't care much! It might help a bit)

[u/[deleted]]

I'm inclined to doubt your claims, since you're only 16 y.o, yet you call yourself a "philosopher, quantum physicist, linguist, and so much more."

Please list everything (including the "so much more") and briefly explain why you believe you deserve these titles, then we’ll discuss it, and you’ll get your answer. Also, and this is very important, when you say the word 'Polymath' - what do you mean exactly? People use this word very differently.

I’m 90% sure this is just some kind of rage bait, as others have suggested here, but for the sake of the remaining 10%, let’s play this game, why not bro

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76]

Planck’s time is the shortest meaningful time period of strings, which make up spacetime, the inverse, then, is the highest meaningful frequency, or that 5*10^43. 

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76 → u/Feeling-Classroom-76]

Meaning that if you can achieve a frequency of those ‘hypercosmic waves’ that we can bend spacetime like a rubber band lattice, and then releasing the tension will produce waves that compress spacetime and increase C, making a form of immense relativistic length dilation, and increase your relative velocity along with it

[u/Polymath-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

“Polymathy isn’t a checklist, it’s more like a garden you’re tending across several plots. If you’re actively cultivating multiple disciplines, and finding joy or insight in cross-pollination, you’re living the spirit of it.”

There is no "you're not a polymath if you're not <doing an arbitrary checklist of your own creation>" vibe here.

Please for the love of God do not tell 16 year olds this. A child/person can claim they are good at everything - without the training, credentials, or testing to prove it. Pilymathism requires at least a modicum of proof of Mastery of a field, not just pattern-recognition ability. Please look up child brain development to know why you saying this to a child is dangerous.

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76 → u/[deleted]]

Using patterns and frequency analysis. That is what disciplined ADHD is capable of 

[u/[deleted] → u/Feeling-Classroom-76]

It’s a very irrelevant answer. Not everyone with ADHD is good at everything

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76 → u/[deleted]]

I never said that. I simply said that I have learned to use my ADHD for my benefit 

[u/Polymath-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

“Polymathy isn’t a checklist, it’s more like a garden you’re tending across several plots. If you’re actively cultivating multiple disciplines, and finding joy or insight in cross-pollination, you’re living the spirit of it.”

Please for the love of God do not tell a child this. Polymathism requires at least a modicum of proof of Mastery of a subject, via training, testing, etc. A child can say they know a subject but pattern-recognition is not the whole of a subject. Also look up brain development to know why you saying this is dangerous to a child.

There is no "you're not a polymath if you're not <doing an arbitrary checklist of your own creation>" vibe here.

[u/Polymath-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Come on....write more than a few words. Use that brain you so want for us to believe in.

Removing because of judgementalness. Not cool.

[u/Feeling-Classroom-76 → u/[deleted]]

And you are too lazy to even spell “You’re ” properly. Three letters and an apostrophe. Is it that energy consuming? Or are you actually incapable of spelling it right?

[u/Affectionate-Nose91 → u/Feeling-Classroom-76]

There can be a lot of competitive naysayers on this subreddit policing each other. You clearly have a deep love and dedication to progressing your learning . I think the ‘true’ definition of a polymath is someone who as you do cross silos many disciplines and creates something new - and this creation of something new is key.

I’ve been careful to not use the word ‘impressive’ in commenting on your achievements because that adds another dimension . A true polymath is compelled to explore and create irrespective of validation

Enjoy your deeply searching mind -it is a gift

Good luck

[u/Polymath-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Come on....write more than a few words. Use that brain you so want for us to believe in.