Am I a Genius or Polymath? Is the Choice Mine?

Throughout history, there have been quite a few notable people that have been labeled to be the term "Genius." For example, Albert Einstein was a genius when it came to thinking of and applying his thoughts to a new science - physics. Though Einstein didn't excel in many subjects, he certainly had a fantastic talent for creating previously unthinkable ideas in the realm of physics. Is there something beyond genius?

Yes. Another profound and historical figure is Leonardo da Vinci. He is not considered to be simply a genius, but rather a polymath (a well-rounded genius) and had profound creativity and knowledge in many different areas. Da Vinci is very well known and is historically renowned for painting. Some of his most noted works are the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Da Vinci was also an outstanding scientist, inventor, observationist and writer.

Some other historical genii and polymaths are: Rushd, Copernicus, Alfarabi, Galileo, Goethe, Jefferson (our former president) and Newton. All of which were considered in (and/or after) their time to be some of the brightest people in history. I can't leave out Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Haydn and Verdi.

You get the idea, right? If not, that's alright too!

Just as people are so diverse, the types of genius are as well. Types of genii are: mathematical, literary, musical, artistic, etc., etc., etc.. For any type of mental work that one could do, there could be and possibly is an equivalent genius for that specific work-type. Being a genius is totally dependent upon that person's creativity. Ex: You are a genius at understanding what I am writing.

Is genius based on I.Q.? No!!! I'm sure you've heard of I.Q. (intelligence quotient,) right? Well let's just say this. Whoever started the "I.Q" was right, but was certainly no genius. Why? Because what it stands for is wrong; at least as far as who would be classified as a genius. Why? Because there are multiple intelligences. As opposed to "intelligence quotient," "I.Q." should stand for "imagination quotient" and would then be more accurate. Regardless of which type of intelligence you are strongest in, your imagination would have to soar for you to be a genius in that specific intelligence. Could you be a genius? Are you a genius? Probably, but with which intelligence?

I'd say that a polymath would most likely do better on an I.Q. test. Polymaths are generally more "well-rounded" an would tend to be better test-takers. Why is this? You see, polymaths are not really the same things as geniuses. Let me help you use your imagination for a moment. I'd like for you to visualize a circle. Imagine the genius as one complete circle. Now then move that circle to the left and imagine another circle. Label it polymath. Now, keeping the circle to the left, labeled as genius, take the polymath circle and duplicate it 10 times with the same label of polymath. Now imagine that the polymath circles become interconnected. Compare the two. Genius - one circle. Polymath - 10 interconnected circles.

Are you a genius? / Are you a polymath?

I say the choice just might be your own.