POLYMATHIC PIZZA FALL 2020 SERIES 

Polymathics: Values of the Polymath 

What are the internal workings of a polymath?  What do they value?  Our founder Sidney Harman emphasized that to understand polymaths the focus should rest not on what they did, but how they did what they did.  Leonardo da Vinci surrounded himself with those he sought to learn from; creativity for Maya Angelou was the connective heartbeat of the universe; and Marie Curie cherished childlike wonder as her entry point to understanding Nature.  Our fall 2020 series explores the pathways and insights from select faculty among us who employ these polymathic values and more in their scholarship and lives.  And to what end?  To learn how. 

SESSION 1: Community 

Varun Soni, Dean of Religious Life

Historically speaking, the genius, “lone polymath” is a misnomer.  The great polymath Leonardo da Vinci surrounded himself with a diverse circle of musicians, architects, engineers, mathematicians, and anatomists to 1. indulge his insatiable curiosity, and 2. because he humbly knew he didn’t know everything.  Polymathy shows us that the most significant progress and innovation come from the sharing, collaboration, and intersection of varied knowledge bases, perspectives, and experiences.  Join Dean Soni and your student colleagues from across the university to learn, share, and collaborate with each other--and in so doing, experience the foundational polymathic value of community.  

To rsvp go to events.usc.edu/esvp/ and enter PIZZA0826 

[the zoom link for this session will be emailed to all rsvps the day of the event]