Until recently, computer science was the domain of the mathematics department in many universities, and many math courses, such as number theory and graph theory, are still cross-listed with computer science. For these reasons, in the modern age, people who study a lot of topics besides their basic activity fall towards the Jack-of-All-Trades end of the spectrum instead of achieving true mastery in all of them. A few hundred years ago, it would have been reasonable for a single intelligent man to know all of humanity's scientific knowledge, but, well. On the other hand, being a Renaissance Man used to be far easier than it is now, simply due to the unbelievable volume of knowledge that five centuries of scientific progress have produced. Many experts in a field develop skills that are necessary in other fields or find themselves requiring skills in another field. Because of this, today most people know them as Renaissance Men.Ī Renaissance Man is anyone in Real Life or media who is an expert in many fields, having a broad base of skill and knowledge. One period in history produced several of the ones that are now most famous, the Renaissance period. Throughout history, there have been people who step beyond this and have excelled in multiple fields, called polymaths. This training is what allows them to not only make a living wage but earn a comfortable life without overexerting their brain.
Many modern-day professionals work to be an expert in a field, be it mathematics, history, or graphic design.