I find the term "Polymath" useless when it comes to the times we live in. Today's high school students would have ranked as a polymaths a few centuries ago. And today, someone who spends their entire time in one field - say software engineering - can be rightly called a polymath.
Gone are the days when one person can gain insights by digging deep into one specific subject. Knowledge of multiple areas is a given. Even more importantly, the days of a lone wolf discovering something new are even more dead. Today's discoveries can only happen collaboratively. Groups of people working hard, with each group egging on the other to push themselves farther (Think AI. We can no longer worship one guy as having advanced the field. There are no Newtons or Einsteins). Instead of patting our backs for being polymaths, lets figure out how best to propel our collaborative capabilities.
Gone are the days when one person can gain insights by digging deep into one specific subject. Knowledge of multiple areas is a given. Even more importantly, the days of a lone wolf discovering something new are even more dead. Today's discoveries can only happen collaboratively. Groups of people working hard, with each group egging on the other to push themselves farther (Think AI. We can no longer worship one guy as having advanced the field. There are no Newtons or Einsteins). Instead of patting our backs for being polymaths, lets figure out how best to propel our collaborative capabilities.