What is a renaissance man in 2022?
If there is anything that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles taught us it’s that if you’re smart enough and impressive enough you will one day be a hero in a Saturday morning cartoon. I’m sure this was the apex of the aspirations of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, two of the many “uomi universali” of renaissance Italy. A humanistic movement that put the human being as the central figure highlighting the value of personal development.
To be a “universal man” or what we eventually started calling a man of the renaissance, one was to develop skills and knowledge across a variety of domains. Of course it helped to show competence in an area that correlated with status. Leonardo Da Vinci was a polymath, architect, sculpture, theorist, and painter. He made contributions to fields of study from botany to astronomy and paleontology. Michelangelo was also a painter and sculptor as well as a poet.
Renaissance values were humanist values. The idea being that human potential should be the focus of society, education, and culture. These ideas came largely from the classical Greek ideas that moved into the area after the Ottoman takeover of Constantinople in the 14th century. Universities were initially designed to teach a ‘universal’ or liberal education. The idea being that all who study there would learn a broad range of topics valued by society, created a well-rounded student. It was much later when universities began promoting specialization.
In the Renaissance, a gentleman would be expected to learn multiple languages, read and write poetry, and play a musical instrument (keep in mind they only bathed once or twice a year so they had spare time for things like this). The key principle being an “unquenchable curiosity” and “inventive imagination”.
So as the Renaissance Men of late-middle age Europe defined modernity, how do we now characterize our post-modern society of the 2020s? What would it mean to be a renaissance man in today’s world?
Well first off, we would want to make it gender neutral somehow. Renaissance Human? Renaissance Person? A Renaissancist? Renaissancerous? We’ll work on that later but for now let’s go with ‘Renaissance person’.
In 2022, which values and skills demonstrate a truly curious, inventive, and universally useful human? The following is a list of skills that I think represent an update to renaissance values.
Coding/Computer programming. The original Renaissance Men were polymaths first. In our new millennium update we would need young people to know at least a little about programming. As the future becomes more digital, coding becomes a language as necessary to learn as Latin would have been for Da Vinci or Alberti. The zoomer Uber-mensch needs to know how to code.
Videography/Photography. Renaissance Italy favoured painting and sculpting as the primary visual art. As prestigious and impressive as it is to paint in today’s age, the truth is that the new dominant visual media is video. A universal education would include skills in directing, editing, and producing video at a high quality. Everyone wants to be a youtuber, so the Renaissance Person of 2022 would have at least some skill in terms of video editing and would have an aesthetically pleasing presence on social media.
Financial literacy/ Investing Acumen. A Renaissance Person blends the impressive with the practical. In the case of finances one would manage their affairs wisely, knowing the basics of budgeting, compound interest, and investing. They might have an advisor but they would certainly have a portion of their portfolio that they manage themselves. They would follow the markets enough to comment on them as they would the weather and they would own stock and/or crypto currency.
Martial Arts. While excellence in a sport of any kind would raise someone’s ‘Renaissance’ status, none demonstrate a more physical, cerebral, and real-world utility than a martial art. Now, in today’s sport economy not all martial arts are created equal. A “renaissanteur” would do best by training brazilian jiu-jitsu, greco-roman wrestling, or muay thai kick boxing. Bonus points for knowing all three and extra bad-ass points if you learn Krav Maga.
Domestic prowess. A millennial universal humanist would have a swath of recipes ready when needed. Basic onion dicing, roux building, and castiron skillet seasoning are helpful but the real renaissanceness shines through if one were to start a culinary craft such as brewing their own beer, baking their own sourdough bread, or designing cakes. One should have basic comfort with all minor domestic needs. From changing the oil in the car to stitching up a tear in a stuffed animal, the least one needs to hire out the more renaissancy they are.
Humanities. It was renaissance humanism that coined the term humanities in the first place so it makes sense that a jack or jill of all trades should have a decent familiarity with the great ideas strewn across literature, philosophy, and other social studies. These skills do not need to be acquired in a higher education setting. In today’s age there are highly informative and engaging podcasters and youtubers who can help one gain a sufficient sampling of the most important thoughts from the history of human thinking. Throw in the fact that it has never been easier to access the primary works of Nietzche, Thomas Aquinas, Confucius, or even… (gulp) Michel Foucault. Most of today’s enane arguments have roots in the ‘great discussions’ across the centuries. It’s not new and the renaissance man or woman of 2022 would know the historical context of today’s issues.
Music. We are a society based on consumerism but “l’uomo universale” of our day produces as well. This would be true for all artistic media but there is still a romantic magic about music that makes it a requirement for today’s list. This is one area where despite popular cache a person could still impress by mastering an instrument that has been in existence since the days of Da Vinci, even if they will never top the Spotify charts with their clavichord solo. Classical instruments are still cool to know but the modern musician is most likely going to favour a modern guitar, drums, or computer program for his or her creative outlet. Either way, an ability to make engaging, harmonious and melodic vibrations in the air is a necessary element of the millennial renaissance equation.
Political transcendence. It has never been cool to be ‘right wing’ but it’s increasingly becoming uncool to be ‘left wing’ either, or at least dogmatically loyal to a specific side. Thanks to the influence of Silicon Valley the west coast libertarian left has added an interesting pro-billionaire wing of the democratic party while the MAGA phenomenon has pushed many conservatives from their political home. With Democrats becoming the party of wealthy educated professionals and Republicans making in-roads with the working class, there has been a significant realignment and being blue or red means something completely different than it did even ten years ago. It seems the enlightened millennial intellectual is able to demonstrate their criticism of all sides, rising above the sectarianism of partisan politics.
Emotional Awareness. A person of the renaissance will have gained an awareness and comfort experiencing the full range of human emotion. They would have the ability to be alone with their thoughts and feelings. They would see valuable insights from their childhood and would have awareness in regards to how their past affects their reactions to current situations. They would realistically acknowledge life’s difficulties while seeing the world’s problems with nuance. When challenged emotionally or intellectually they would be able to hear competing arguments and assert themselves confidently while keeping an open mind to alternative beliefs.
Connected relationships. No one’s relationships are perfect, but whereas once upon a time the Renaissance Man was meant to be a James Bond, womanizer type, now the requirement is for people who have the ability to make other people feel comfortable in their presence. It’s about authenticity. They demonstrate mutual understanding with friends and lovers alike. They can be vulnerable with others and be the type of person with whom vulnerability comes easily as well. They are kind and considerate of their fellow person. The 2020’s should be about relationships, there’s no sense in being cool and impressive if you’re all alone.
What else do you think should be on this far from exhaustive list? Online marketing? Multicultural awareness? Languages? Activism? Comment below!
For what it’s worth, I fail miserably in every one of these categories. But who do you think best personifies this millennial ideal? The first person that comes to mind for me is Lex Fridman, the MIT robotics researcher, PhD, black belt in brazilian jiujitsu, and podcaster. But I also think of astronaut and chemical engineer Mae Jamison, or the apparently brilliant Kate Beckinsale. Coleman Hughes is in his early 20's and he is an accomplished thinker, musician, writer, and podcaster. Think media figures like Oprah or Joe Rogan. Or business giants like Elon Musk and Sheryl Sandberg. Triple threats like Donald Glover, Jamie Fox or Natalie Portman. Either way, there was once a time when competence and accomplishment were ways to gain the respect and admiration of one’s peers. Perhaps there was an overemphasis on excellence for a while but I suppose I’m trying to make the argument that it is still cool to be good at stuff.
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