First, let's understand how erudition differs from broadmindedness. Is a polymath a child with a broad outlook? Or is it? On the one hand, both these concepts are often used as synonyms. But there is a significant difference. Circumspection is a WIDE knowledge in different areas of life, and erudition implies a DEEP knowledge.
Thus, to become a polymath, you can start by developing your horizons. And then, as your interest grows, you can start to take an in-depth interest in different subjects and become a professional in them.
What does erudition give a child
"I can just look it up on the Internet!" - say children who are being told by their parents to study. But the point is that you can look it up and forget it, and even if you don't forget it, you don't know how to apply it. This is how an erudite differs from an ordinary person. He not only has deep knowledge in different fields of sciences, but also knows how to use them in life.
In addition, the world is constantly changing nowadays. And new professions are emerging that require broad knowledge at the intersection of disciplines. For example, nowadays, sciences with the use of artificial intelligence are actively developing. And at the moment Ilon Musk's company conducts successful experiments on implanting microchips in people with spinal cord injuries. In other words, such a task requires many specialists who know not only biology, medicine, physiology, but also IT technologies.
And the list of such professions will only grow in the future!
If we talk about the development of outlook, it should also be taken into account that such people live an interesting, rich life. It will not be difficult for them to apply their knowledge both in the profession and in personal realization. Since erudites are constantly improving in different spheres, they actively travel, easily make acquaintances, attend events that are related to their interests.
How to develop your horizons from childhood
To help your child broaden their horizons and give them a good start to developing erudition, consider what stimulates the brain:
- Reading - read books to children, read with them, listen to books if there is no opportunity to read. Try to choose children's encyclopedias about the world around him, about space, animals, about everything he is interested in.
- Travel - try to go to new places regularly, so that the child gets impressions from the change of surroundings. Agree, we two-week vacation is enough for six months of memories. What to talk about the child's brain? And trips do not have to be long. A short one-day trip out of town on a weekend is also a great way to gain new knowledge.
- Talk - from the age of 3, when the child is actively exploring the world, do not let this interest fade away. Answer all the "Why?" of the child, for this purpose do not hesitate to look in encyclopedias. And look at them together.
- Logic tasks and puzzles - develop logical, spatial thinking, let the child learn to establish cause-and-effect relationships and analyze.
- Play chess - if you can't do it yourself, find lessons with a teacher. Palme School has hChess lessons with Russian-speaking teachers. Playing chess, the child develops logic, attention and abstract thinking.
- World map - hang a large geographical map of the world with the names of continents, oceans, countries and seas in your child's room. This way the child will learn the sides of the world from an early age and will be oriented in geography.
- Board games and constructors - if your child asks for another Lego set, encourage their hobby. This develops engineering skills and spatial thinking.
- For schoolchildren, it is good to attend discussion clubs, where peers discuss topics of interest to them. There is a teacher who leads the discussion and asks them thought-provoking questions.
- Conduct home experiments - nowadays you can find many ready-made kits for experiments in chemistry and physics on the Internet. But you can also do experiments yourself using simple materials that can be found in any kitchen.
10 famous Russian scientists who can be considered erudites
It is known that geniuses do not become geniuses, geniuses are born. The life and labor of these people proves this phrase. Many had to break their way, overcoming various obstacles. But their contribution to the development of the modern world is difficult to overestimate.
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Russian genius, scientist and inventor, founder of cosmonautics.
Ivan Pavlov. Founding scientist of the physiological school. Creator of the science of higher nervous activity.
Vladimir Bekhterev. Russian scientist-psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist, physiologist. Founder of reflexology.
Lev Landau. An outstanding theoretical physicist, he contributed to various fields of science: quantum mechanics, nuclear physics, hydrodynamics and other disciplines.
Dmitri Mendeleev. Russian chemist, creator of the periodic table of chemical elements. He was also involved in physics, meteorology, metrology, economics, instrumentation, and pedagogy.
Sofia Kovalevskaya. The world's first female professor of mathematics, as well as a writer, poet, and essayist.
Mikhail Lomonosov. The first Russian natural scientist to achieve international recognition. Also, encyclopedist, chemist, physicist, astronomer, instrument maker, geographer, metallurgist, geologist, poet, artist, historian.
Nikolai Lobachevsky. Mathematician, creator of non-Euclidean geometry, rector of Kazan University.
Lev Vygotsky. Russian scientist-psychologist, creator of the cultural-historical theory.
Nikolai Pirogov. MD, a great Russian surgeon, creator of anesthesia and anesthesia.
We hope we've inspired you. If you are interested, there is another article on our blog about outlook. And also the article about successful kids. You can read these and other useful articles on our blog.