
Ask HN: How to become a renaissance man? - Sabrosa
I'm 21 years old, about to finish college. And I've decided to spend my 20s becoming a renaissance man. What does that mean? I'd like to spend the bulk of my time becoming a well-rounded person - learning (foreign) languages, drawing, painting, musical instruments, mathematics, physical fitness and so on. Specialization is for insects, etc.<p>I like the idea of making things more than just acquiring knowledge. There's just too much information out there for any one person to know; but, I do think it's possible to be good at creating various things.<p>--------<p>So, my questions for you are:<p>- What subjects would you try to learn?<p>- How would you go about learning these various subjects?
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jfaucett
I like your enthusiasm! I was at the same point a while back. Here's some of
the things I did to broaden my horizons and expand my knowlege:

In my teens I moved to argentina and got a job there which forced me to learn
spanish well ( still stuck with el accento porteno ). In my opinion there's
nothing better for opening up your mind like moving to another country,
experiencing other world views, literatures, culture, etc.

Make a choice to learn something and stick with it until you master it (but
make sure its something you enjoy). The toughest for me was sticking with
Mathematics, because apart from trig, relational algebra, and discreet maths I
hardly ever have a chance to apply the rest. So I just set apart some time
daily and worked from the bottom up, its constantly more fascinating and I
really miss it when I can't spend my daily time with my mathbook (currently
'pattern calculus' by barry jay - highly recommend.

I'd say delve into diverse subjects but don't try to be a master of all. Its
one thing to know who decartes was, how he arrived at cogito ergo sum, and yea
the cartesian plane, but you'll never be able to know it all and a lot of its
completely useless. For me, after a year long period where I read into
philosophy in depth I pretty much decided the whole field was pointless (for
me), and decided to concentrate on disciplines that were more applicable and
enjoyable for me such as physics and political history.

Lastly, to quickly answer your question about which subjects to learn I'd say
the following a good for getting an overall understanding (and will keep you
more than busy for quite a while :)

1\. The world of the abstract - Math

2\. Understanding the universe and our relationship to it - Physics

3\. Life and living organisms - Biology and evolutionary theory (Dawkins,
Dennett )

4\. Humans and our cultures - History in tandem with at least near native
fluency in one foreign language (and accompaning culture, literature, films)

5\. The Mind and brain how we think and are - Cognitive Science - Gödel,
Escher, Bach (GEB)

Best of luck its a very fun path learning things and then applying what you've
learned!

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bradleyjg
What do you think college was for? You are unlikely to ever again have nearly
as easy access to such a broad range of experts all willing to teach / train
you in thier subjects.

Also unless you have a trust fund you should be spending a good part of the
next nine years figuring out how you are going to support yourself for the
following fifty.

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mattgreenrocks
What are you interested in? Start there and constrain yourself to a few
topics. Just be sure you're doing it for the right reasons - that is, you
truly love what you're studying.

But, more to answer your question: I'd choose a maximum of 3 (and even that is
pushing it), then immerse yourself deeply in them. If you're wanting to make
things, then practice it as much as you can, regardless of the quality. It
took me many years to not feel ashamed of my guitar playing, but it has
finally started to take hold.

Art demands a lot from you emotionally, but it's not any fun otherwise. :)

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waivej
Cool! That's how I spent the past 20 years...

Try to take classes, but just launch full speed into new goals. For example,
to learn photography I bought a nice camera and darkroom and $1000 worth of
film. To learn car repair, I bought a cheap Italian convertible and rebuilt it
as a member of an online community (engine modifications, transmission swap,
etc.)

You can speed up learning by setting daily structure, ex: Pick 7 things to
work on each week (based on your weaknesses) and devote one per day of the
week. Perhaps set month goals such as reading a book per month, competing in
an event, etc. Set year goals, etc.

World study (travel, language study, history) Physique (martial art, endurance
sport, yoga) Music (history, instrument, theory, singing, etc.) Art
(photography, architecture, graphic design, painting, drawing, creativity,
etc.) Mechanical (get a cool old car and learn to rebuild it, 4 wheeling,
convertible, welding) Construction (improve a house, wood working, furniture,
etc.) Acting (role in a play, improv, standup jokes) Psychology/Religion
(explore meditation, church service, personal development.) Mathematics
(history, chess, classic texts)

Business? Computer Engineering?

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ActVen
These are a tactical tips, but I have found them useful in acquiring a broad
range of knowledge.

1\. Stop watching broadcast/cable TV. Only watch a few really good shows via
iTunes so you don't waste time on commercials.

2\. Listen to non-fiction audiobooks when getting ready in the morning or
driving/commuting. You can gain a broad range of knowledge with what is
typically down time. The knowledge is valuable on its own, but really becomes
useful when you start creating your own material.

3\. Cut your news reading down to a few broad weekly/monthly publications like
The Atlantic and The Economist.

4\. Watch Charlie Rose. You would be amazed at the breadth of guests he has
on.

5\. When you meet others, ask them about what they do and really talk to them
about it. Small talk is a waste of time. Ask detailed questions about
different fields and you will find you learn quite a bit in the process.

6\. Always ask "Why?" when you encounter new concepts.

~~~
dholowiski
Yes, #1 for sure. Once you get over it, you will find you have way more free
time (plus no $100/month cable bill) to pursue more important stuff.

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cafard
"The bulk of [your] time"? Unless you have an independent income, this may be
the bulk of your free time.

Off the top of my head:

a. Live where you can get by mostly walking or riding a bike. That will help
with fitness. b. Take some classes. If you already know a musical instrument
or two, I suppose you can learn another easily. From a given level of
mathematical maturity, you can learn more math on your own. But foreign
languages, drawing, and painting seem like skills you can use some help with.
Community colleges, university extension programs, organizations such as the
Academie Francaise and the Goethe Institute offer things that can help you. c.
On your own, you can read plenty of history. d. Philosophy is worth reading,
but requires some context.

Good luck.

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wyan
Going for knowledge just because it sounds cool isn't going to be a motivator
strong enough for success. Find stuff you're interested in and dive into
those. The way to become a well-rounded person is to become obsessive in many
things (possibly not simultaneously) that are unusual in some way. In fact,
learning anything will feel like specialization, and in fact being a serial
specialist is probably the most viable way to become a "Renaissance man"
today.

Note that the first thing that came to my mind when I read your post was: "To
be a true Renaissance man, you need to have been dead for 400 years". I won't
write it here :)

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majorapps
What are your goals? A high level "renaissance man" is a good start, but how
about breaking these down into tangible 'deliverables'. E.g. what languages do
you specifically want to learn? Do you want to spend time in a country
applying those language skills in a natural context...

The reason I suggest this is without clear goals and a practical application
for those goals, you may not get the outcome you desire.

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adrianwaj
Start reading a physical encyclopedia from cover to cover. Start reading
things you don't understand to make you open-minded and tolerant and hopefully
humble. (specialization is not for insects) Start gardening, insects are found
here. Only rarely downvote on HN, as that's the modus operandi of the
Renaissance Man - positive choices and preferences, not caught up in
condemnation.

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sktrdie
Personally I just do what I'm passionate about, and that's it. I don't
categorize my passions and expect my passions to be more than 5 or 10.

Simply find what you love doing.

Things in life change and 10 years from now you'll have different interests.
Cultivate the things your interested in now and don't over stress yourself
with having to learn all those disciplines - things will come with time.

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Sabrosa
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm not wealthy by any means, so income is
definitely going to be an issue. But I don't have very many expenses or
responsibilities (yet), so it's not too difficult to live cheaply on 20-30k a
year.

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pasbesoin
Good physical health is your first step. Seriously.

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orangethirty
Forget learning, find yourself. The true renaissance man knows himself. The
other stuff is easy.

