Description
When people think of polymaths like Leonardo da Vinci or Einstein, they often imagine unreachable geniuses. But that’s simply not true. Being a polymath isn’t about being born with special talent—it’s about nurturing curiosity, developing good habits, and making learning a natural, ongoing part of your life. I started my own journey with no special gifts or advantages. Over the years, through persistence, curiosity, and the simple strategies I share in this course, I earned a PhD in engineering, contributed to patents, picked up new languages, and connected with innovators across disciplines.
Smartorfun: Interdisciplinary and Polymath is inspired by the real stories of creative thinkers—past and present—and is designed to help you unlock the same potential within yourself. From the butterfly collectors and cabinet-of-curiosities enthusiasts of the Enlightenment, to the physicists, designers, and tech pioneers shaping the 21st century, you’ll learn how curiosity, experimentation, and synthesis drive progress across every field.
This course is for everyone who wants to think and learn across boundaries—students, professionals, parents, and lifelong explorers. Whether you want to expand your horizons for personal growth, career advancement, or simply for the joy of learning, you’ll find clear steps to develop a polymath mindset and practical methods for building new skills in any domain.
Here’s what you’ll experience:
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Polymath Mindset & Accessible Habits:
Discover how staying curious, asking questions, and welcoming new challenges will set you apart.
Learn why polymathy is about progress, not perfection, and why every step—even the smallest experiment—builds your creative power.
See how famous and everyday polymaths built their skills through trial, error, and lifelong curiosity, not innate genius.
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Interdisciplinary Skills & Real-World Application:
Develop the ability to cross boundaries, connect knowledge from brain science to art, business, technology, culture, and philosophy.
Practice using analogies, taxonomy, scientific method, and design thinking to solve real problems and generate new ideas.
Embrace both humanitarian and technical perspectives, enabling you to lead, collaborate, and innovate in today’s complex world.
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Creativity, Experimentation, and Nonconformism:
Build hands-on creativity with practical projects, personal experiments, and a “hacker’s” mindset.
Explore stories of scientists, artists, and entrepreneurs who broke the mold, managed innovation, and protected their unique ideas.
Turn curiosity into a driving force for growth, resilience, and adaptability.
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Philosophy, Legacy, and Lifelong Growth:
Reflect on happiness, stoicism, ethics, and social justice through the stories of polymath families, educators, and creative minds.
Discover how educational choices, family traditions, and entrepreneurial attitudes help build meaningful legacies and sustained impact.
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Practical Tools & Memory Techniques:
Use recall markers, visualization, and memory strategies to make learning stick—and make connections between what you know and what you discover.
Organize knowledge with mind maps, collections, and other physical and digital tools to multiply your expertise.
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Your First Steps & Daily Practice:
Find clear, actionable routines to develop your polymath skills, whether you’re just starting out or already exploring multiple interests.
Share the journey with family, friends, or colleagues—these strategies work for any age, and can inspire those around you to think bigger and learn more.
Polymathy is not about being perfect or knowing everything—it’s about growing, exploring, and connecting ideas across fields. The choice to begin is yours, and this course will guide you every step of the way. You don’t need to be a genius; you just need to take that first step and commit to curiosity.
Enroll now and set off on a journey through centuries of human knowledge. Build the interdisciplinary mindset, practical skills, and enduring curiosity to thrive as a modern polymath—learning, connecting, and creating every day.
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Instructor(s)

Senior Instructor
Lev Goldentouch
Course curriculum
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1
SECTION 1 - Collecting Knowledge
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SECTION 1 LESSON 1 - Why People Are Curious About Polymaths
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SECTION 1 LESSON 2 - Encyclopedians
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SECTION 1 LESSON 3 - The Nature Of Collectors
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SECTION 1 LESSON 4 - Physical Vs Digital
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SECTION 1 LESSON 5 - No Time To Die
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SECTION 1 LESSON 6 - Interdisciplinary Studies
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SECTION 1 LESSON 7 - Futurism
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SECTION 1 LESSON 8 - Learning Is Fun
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SECTION 1 LESSON 9 - Theory Of Everything
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2
SECTION 2 - Synergetic Subjects
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SECTION 2 LESSON 1 - Humanitarians And Technologists
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SECTION 2 LESSON 2 - Brain Science
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SECTION 2 LESSON 3 - Business Studies
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SECTION 2 LESSON 4 - Cultures And Languages
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SECTION 2 LESSON 5 - Earth Studies
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SECTION 2 LESSON 6 - Space Exploration
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SECTION 2 LESSON 7 - Futurists And Philosophers
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SECTION 2 LESSON 8 - Journalism And Entertainment
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SECTION 2 LESSON 9 - The Best Studies For A Polymath
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3
SECTION 3 - What Can We Learn From Butterflies
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SECTION 3 LESSON 1 - Good Bad And Ugly
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SECTION 3 LESSON 2 - Somewhat Childish Thrill
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SECTION 3 LESSON 3 - Adventurers Vs Scientists
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SECTION 3 LESSON 4 - Taxonomy Is Not Exact Science
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SECTION 3 LESSON 5 - Mimicry
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SECTION 3 LESSON 6 - Revisiting The Collection
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SECTION 3 LESSON 7 - Describing What We See
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SECTION 3 LESSON 8 - Nonbinary Ethics
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4
SECTION 4 - Science Vs Journalism
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SECTION 4 LESSON 1 - Popular Science
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SECTION 4 LESSON 2 - Science TV
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SECTION 4 LESSON 3 - Super Smart Journalists
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SECTION 4 LESSON 4 - Form Vs Essence
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SECTION 4 LESSON 5 - Megastructures
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SECTION 4 LESSON 6 - Great Educators
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SECTION 4 LESSON 7 - Wise Prophets
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SECTION 4 LESSON 8 - Human Jukebox
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SECTION 4 LESSON 9 - Modern Philosophy
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5
SECTION 5 - Transfer Knowledge
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SECTION 5 LESSON 1 - Transferable Knowledge
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SECTION 5 LESSON 2 - Statistics
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SECTION 5 LESSON 3 - Common Equations
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SECTION 5 LESSON 4 - Psychology
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SECTION 5 LESSON 5 - Scientific Method
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SECTION 5 LESSON 6 - Taxonomies
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SECTION 5 LESSON 7 - Analogy
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SECTION 5 LESSON 8 - Design Approach
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SECTION 5 LESSON 9 - Abductive Reasoning
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6
SECTION 6 - Hacking Everything
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SECTION 6 LESSON 1 - Creativity Vs Gamification
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SECTION 6 LESSON 2 - Nonconformism
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SECTION 6 LESSON 3 - Personal Code
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SECTION 6 LESSON 4 - Endless Optimism
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SECTION 6 LESSON 5 - Playful Experimentation
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SECTION 6 LESSON 6 - Always Hands On
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SECTION 6 LESSON 7 - Do Things Faster
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SECTION 6 LESSON 8 - Choosing The Right Approach
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SECTION 6 LESSON 9 - Healthy Competition
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SECTION 6 LESSON 10 - What Would NOT My Role Model Do
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7
SECTION 7 - Enlightenment
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SECTION 7 LESSON 1 - Happiness Through Knowledge
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SECTION 7 LESSON 2 - Stoic Understanding Of Knowledge
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SECTION 7 LESSON 3 - Social Justice
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SECTION 7 LESSON 4 - Benevolent Ruler
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SECTION 7 LESSON 5 - Limitations And Constraints
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SECTION 7 LESSON 6 - Social Stratification
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SECTION 7 LESSON 7 - Nobel Savagery
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SECTION 7 LESSON 8 - Epicurean Alternative
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8
SECTION 8 - Polymath Family
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SECTION 8 LESSON 1 - Families Of Scientists
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SECTION 8 LESSON 2 - Competition And Cooperation
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SECTION 8 LESSON 3 - To Homeschool Or Not
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SECTION 8 LESSON 4 - The Privilege Of Choice
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SECTION 8 LESSON 5 - Arrested Development
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SECTION 8 LESSON 6 - Power Couples
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SECTION 8 LESSON 7 - Intellectual Inbreeding
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SECTION 8 LESSON 8 - The Legacy Of The Royalty
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9
SECTION 9 - Entrepreneurial Spirit
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SECTION 9 LESSON 1 - Risk And Caviar
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SECTION 9 LESSON 2 - Embrace Paradoxes
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SECTION 9 LESSON 3 - Leverage Cognitive Biases
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SECTION 9 LESSON 4 - Slow Feedback
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SECTION 9 LESSON 5 - Rebellious Spirit
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SECTION 9 LESSON 6 - Ideation Vs Execution
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SECTION 9 LESSON 7 - People Skills
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SECTION 9 LESSON 8 - Champion Of Ideas
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SECTION 9 LESSON 9 - Safety Net
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10
SECTION 10 - Managing Innovation
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SECTION 10 LESSON 1 - Stealth Vs Transparency
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SECTION 10 LESSON 2 - Cabinets And Hidden Drawers
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SECTION 10 LESSON 3 - The Idea Of A Patent
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SECTION 10 LESSON 4 - From Trademark To NFT
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SECTION 10 LESSON 5 - More Knowledge Than Ever
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SECTION 10 LESSON 6 - Specimen Cabinet
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SECTION 10 LESSON 7 - Index Cabinet
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SECTION 10 LESSON 8 - Rolodex Of Ideas
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SECTION 10 LESSON 9 - More Of The Same
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11
SECTION 11 - Derivation And Presentation
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SECTION 11 LESSON 1 - Vocalize Your Reasoning
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SECTION 11 LESSON 2 - Speed Vs Transparency
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SECTION 11 LESSON 3 - Derivation
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SECTION 11 LESSON 4 - Prerequisites
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SECTION 11 LESSON 5 - Active Participation
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SECTION 11 LESSON 6 - No Cutting Corners
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SECTION 11 LESSON 7 - Managing Expectations
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SECTION 11 LESSON 8 - Repetitions
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SECTION 11 LESSON 9 - Follow Up
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12
SECTION 12 - Metaknowledge
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SECTION 12 LESSON 1 - What Is Metaknowledge
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SECTION 12 LESSON 2 - What Comes After Physics
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SECTION 12 LESSON 3 - Socratic Questioning
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SECTION 12 LESSON 4 - Scholastic Answer
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SECTION 12 LESSON 5 - Accepting Uncertainty
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SECTION 12 LESSON 6 - Questioning Beliefs
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SECTION 12 LESSON 7 - Know Everything About Nothing
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SECTION 12 LESSON 8 - Needs To Know Basis
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