Description

I am a polymath and I get a lot of questions which I decided to answer here.


This course is inspired by the way polymaths think. It addresses both the modern state of science and technology and the humble origins of science. This particular course was especially fun to write. From charismatic butterfly collectors to the physicists of the 20th century, from royal cabinets of curios of 18th century to space telescopes of the  21st century. I enjoyed every moment and I hope you will enjoy it too.


The utility of this course deals with interdisciplinary skills. I explain how to acquire and use general knowledge and multidisciplinary knowledge in complex projects. I hope it will triple the quantity and utility of the stuff you learn outside of your initial expertise out of curiosity.  Also, it will help make the physical recall markers more meaningful.


This course does not assume speedreading and memory classes , yet if you seriously want to be a polymath I recommend taking them. 

Instructor(s)

Senior Instructor

Lev Goldentouch

Dr. Lev Goldentouch, Lifehacker and technology guru.Dr Lev Gold finished PhD in machine learning and information theory when he was 27 years old. Understanding of similarity of machine learning and human super-learning allowed Lev to learn immense amounts of knowledge in many technological and cognitive subjects. Immediately afterwards Lev opened a consulting company, which offers its services to highly skilled individuals, agile startups and technological giants like Samsung. The super-learning tools developed by Lev allow ordinary people to learn x10 speed of their colleagues, and enable machines to solve extremely complex problems. Lev is an active lifehacker, constantly looking for new and better ways to do things, and willing to share his unique knowledge and experience with others.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    SECTION 1 - Collecting Knowledge

    • SECTION 1 LESSON 1 - Why People Are Curious About Polymaths

    • SECTION 1 LESSON 2 - Encyclopedians

    • SECTION 1 LESSON 3 - The Nature Of Collectors

    • SECTION 1 LESSON 4 - Physical Vs Digital

    • SECTION 1 LESSON 5 - No Time To Die

    • SECTION 1 LESSON 6 - Interdisciplinary Studies

    • SECTION 1 LESSON 7 - Futurism

    • SECTION 1 LESSON 8 - Learning Is Fun

    • SECTION 1 LESSON 9 - Theory Of Everything
  • 2

    SECTION 2 - Synergetic Subjects

    • SECTION 2 LESSON 1 - Humanitarians And Technologists

    • SECTION 2 LESSON 2 - Brain Science

    • SECTION 2 LESSON 3 - Business Studies

    • SECTION 2 LESSON 4 - Cultures And Languages

    • SECTION 2 LESSON 5 - Earth Studies

    • SECTION 2 LESSON 6 - Space Exploration

    • SECTION 2 LESSON 7 - Futurists And Philosophers

    • SECTION 2 LESSON 8 - Journalism And Entertainment

    • SECTION 2 LESSON 9 - The Best Studies For A Polymath
  • 3

    SECTION 3 - What Can We Learn From Butterflies

    • SECTION 3 LESSON 1 - Good Bad And Ugly

    • SECTION 3 LESSON 2 - Somewhat Childish Thrill

    • SECTION 3 LESSON 3 - Adventurers Vs Scientists

    • SECTION 3 LESSON 4 - Taxonomy Is Not Exact Science

    • SECTION 3 LESSON 5 - Mimicry

    • SECTION 3 LESSON 6 - Revisiting The Collection

    • SECTION 3 LESSON 7 - Describing What We See

    • SECTION 3 LESSON 8 - Nonbinary Ethics
  • 4

    SECTION 4 - Science Vs Journalism

    • SECTION 4 LESSON 1 - Popular Science

    • SECTION 4 LESSON 2 - Science TV

    • SECTION 4 LESSON 3 - Super Smart Journalists

    • SECTION 4 LESSON 4 - Form Vs Essence

    • SECTION 4 LESSON 5 - Megastructures

    • SECTION 4 LESSON 6 - Great Educators

    • SECTION 4 LESSON 7 - Wise Prophets

    • SECTION 4 LESSON 8 - Human Jukebox

    • SECTION 4 LESSON 9 - Modern Philosophy
  • 5

    SECTION 5 - Transfer Knowledge

    • SECTION 5 LESSON 1 - Transferable Knowledge

    • SECTION 5 LESSON 2 - Statistics

    • SECTION 5 LESSON 3 - Common Equations

    • SECTION 5 LESSON 4 - Psychology

    • SECTION 5 LESSON 5 - Scientific Method

    • SECTION 5 LESSON 6 - Taxonomies

    • SECTION 5 LESSON 7 - Analogy

    • SECTION 5 LESSON 8 - Design Approach

    • SECTION 5 LESSON 9 - Abductive Reasoning
  • 6

    SECTION 6 - Hacking Everything

    • SECTION 6 LESSON 1 - Creativity Vs Gamification

    • SECTION 6 LESSON 2 - Nonconformism

    • SECTION 6 LESSON 3 - Personal Code

    • SECTION 6 LESSON 4 - Endless Optimism

    • SECTION 6 LESSON 5 - Playful Experimentation

    • SECTION 6 LESSON 6 - Always Hands On

    • SECTION 6 LESSON 7 - Do Things Faster

    • SECTION 6 LESSON 8 - Choosing The Right Approach

    • SECTION 6 LESSON 9 - Healthy Competition

    • SECTION 6 LESSON 10 - What Would NOT My Role Model Do
  • 7

    SECTION 7 - Enlightenment

    • SECTION 7 LESSON 1 - Happiness Through Knowledge

    • SECTION 7 LESSON 2 - Stoic Understanding Of Knowledge

    • SECTION 7 LESSON 3 - Social Justice

    • SECTION 7 LESSON 4 - Benevolent Ruler

    • SECTION 7 LESSON 5 - Limitations And Constraints

    • SECTION 7 LESSON 6 - Social Stratification

    • SECTION 7 LESSON 7 - Nobel Savagery

    • SECTION 7 LESSON 8 - Epicurean Alternative
  • 8

    SECTION 8 - Polymath Family

    • SECTION 8 LESSON 1 - Families Of Scientists

    • SECTION 8 LESSON 2 - Competition And Cooperation

    • SECTION 8 LESSON 3 - To Homeschool Or Not

    • SECTION 8 LESSON 4 - The Privilege Of Choice

    • SECTION 8 LESSON 5 - Arrested Development

    • SECTION 8 LESSON 6 - Power Couples

    • SECTION 8 LESSON 7 - Intellectual Inbreeding

    • SECTION 8 LESSON 8 - The Legacy Of The Royalty
  • 9

    SECTION 9 - Entrepreneurial Spirit

    • SECTION 9 LESSON 1 - Risk And Caviar

    • SECTION 9 LESSON 2 - Embrace Paradoxes

    • SECTION 9 LESSON 3 - Leverage Cognitive Biases

    • SECTION 9 LESSON 4 - Slow Feedback

    • SECTION 9 LESSON 5 - Rebellious Spirit

    • SECTION 9 LESSON 6 - Ideation Vs Execution

    • SECTION 9 LESSON 7 - People Skills

    • SECTION 9 LESSON 8 - Champion Of Ideas

    • SECTION 9 LESSON 9 - Safety Net
  • 10

    SECTION 10 - Managing Innovation

    • SECTION 10 LESSON 1 - Stealth Vs Transparency

    • SECTION 10 LESSON 2 - Cabinets And Hidden Drawers

    • SECTION 10 LESSON 3 - The Idea Of A Patent

    • SECTION 10 LESSON 4 - From Trademark To NFT

    • SECTION 10 LESSON 5 - More Knowledge Than Ever

    • SECTION 10 LESSON 6 - Specimen Cabinet

    • SECTION 10 LESSON 7 - Index Cabinet

    • SECTION 10 LESSON 8 - Rolodex Of Ideas

    • SECTION 10 LESSON 9 - More Of The Same
  • 11

    SECTION 11 - Derivation And Presentation

    • SECTION 11 LESSON 1 - Vocalize Your Reasoning

    • SECTION 11 LESSON 2 - Speed Vs Transparency

    • SECTION 11 LESSON 3 - Derivation

    • SECTION 11 LESSON 4 - Prerequisites

    • SECTION 11 LESSON 5 - Active Participation

    • SECTION 11 LESSON 6 - No Cutting Corners

    • SECTION 11 LESSON 7 - Managing Expectations

    • SECTION 11 LESSON 8 - Repetitions

    • SECTION 11 LESSON 9 - Follow Up
  • 12

    SECTION 12 - Metaknowledge

    • SECTION 12 LESSON 1 - What Is Metaknowledge

    • SECTION 12 LESSON 2 - What Comes After Physics

    • SECTION 12 LESSON 3 - Socratic Questioning

    • SECTION 12 LESSON 4 - Scholastic Answer

    • SECTION 12 LESSON 5 - Accepting Uncertainty

    • SECTION 12 LESSON 6 - Questioning Beliefs

    • SECTION 12 LESSON 7 - Know Everything About Nothing

    • SECTION 12 LESSON 8 - Needs To Know Basis