Unfortunately, somewhere along the way the idea of someone who dabbled in many fields lost its cultural appeal and we began to praise those who sought deep subject matter expertise. The Renaissance thinkers recognized both the potential of individuals as well as the enormous value to being well-rounded. It is time for a renaissance of the “Renaissance Man.” Although specialization has certain economic advantages, in the era of technological convergence, well-educated generalists will be those who are the most valuable. Historically, specialization has been a path to prosperity. In the days of the hunter-gatherer, every member of the tribe would have been expected to command some degree of proficiency with each task.Īs we progressed along the economic continuum from hunter-gatherer through agrarian and industrial and now into post-industrial economies, the labor force has become more fragmented, with workers having more and more specialized skill sets. In Specialization, Polymaths And The Pareto Principle In A Convergence Economy, Jake Chapman writes: Įconomists tell us that the history of human labor is one of continually increasing specialization. However, the convergence economy, Internet age, connectivity, the rise of the Creative Class, and other modern developments are bringing about a return of a more positive opinion for generalists and multipotentialites. Older emphasis towards generalism and multiple potentials such as Renaissance humanism and the Renaissance man were replaced. The aphorism Jack of all trades, master of none emphasizes this.
Indeed, in the modern day, the more narrow the specialization, the higher the pay and respect accorded, for example: PhD graduates, and specialized lawyers, doctors, and engineers. With the advent of the industrial age, cultural norms have shifted in favor of specialization. Other terms used to refer to multipotentialites are " scanners", "slashers", "generalist", "multipassionate", "RP2", and "multipods", among others. In this sense, multipotentialites can be viewed as potential polymaths. Polymaths, on the other hand, are distinguished by their mastery and expertise in several fields. Multipotentiality refers simply to one's potential in multiple fields owing to his/her diverse interests and attempts. Indeed, Isis Jade makes a clear distinction between multipotentiality and polymaths. One need not be an expert in any particular field to be a multipotentialite. While the term "multipotentialite" is often used interchangeably with " polymath" or "Renaissance Person", the terms are not identical. Emilie Wapnick, Terminology, Puttylike Relevant terminology Multipotentiality is the state of having many exceptional talents, any one or more of which could make for a great career for that person. In 2010, multipotentiality appears again in Tamara Fisher's article in Education Week. The blog was then copied in its entirety to Facebook on September 22, 2016, after viewing Emilie Wapnick’s TED talk on being a multipotentialite during Oct 2015. His first blog referred to Multipotentializing as excelling in multiple fields of energy.
In 2008, on October 22, Douglas Hannay began a blog, lasting some 8 years. In 1999, "multipotentiality" appears in Laurie Diane Shute's doctoral dissertation which was titled "An investigation of multipotentiality among university honors students." defined a multipotentialed person as someone who, “when provided with appropriate environments, can select and develop a number of competencies to a high level.” An early instance of the term in the record comes from relevant research in giftedness.
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