Word: polymath
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...goal was to learn enough about these scientific and transnational factors to try to divine the quality of life in different regions of the planet through the middle of the next century. In an era when knowledge is narrowly compartmentalized, Kennedy warrants praise for the breadth of these polymath ambitions, aided though he was by five research assistants. But ultimately what mars Kennedy's book is that his grasp never fully equals his global reach...
...Vile Body is largely the creation of Teachout, a Missouri-born polymath who plays jazz piano, reviews records and ballet, and is gearing up to write a biography of H.L. Mencken. When he moved to New York from the Midwest three years ago, Teachout was dismayed to discover that the city was, as he puts it, "hostile to civilized friendship." There was little opportunity for people of his age and ideology to coalesce for intellectual sustenance. "Conservatives and libertarians exist in an adversary culture," he explains. "You need a community where you don't have to be arguing first causes...