Erudites are people who have fundamental versatile knowledge. An erudite person is always able to maintain a conversation and is ready to answer almost any question. Usually polymaths have a wide knowledge both in the humanities and in technical.
General information about erudition
An erudite person is a person with immense knowledge in many scientific fields. The word "erudite" itself comes from the noun "erudition". It is also necessary to distinguish between the erudite and the gelerter. Gelerter has broad but shallow knowledge. The erudite man draws information from his own experiences or direct sources, while the gelert manages only superficial theoretical knowledge.
They strived for erudition back in the days of Ancient Greece. People were in a hurry to exterminate their rudeness and ignorance in everything. All-round development gained great popularity during the Renaissance. It was during this period that the expression "Man of the Renaissance" appeared. It denotes a person - a master in many different professions.
However, there are opponents of erudition, who explain their dislike by the fact that it is the erudites who are the greatest ignoramuses, since it is impossible to be competent in five or ten areas at the same time. The more sciences they comprehend, the more they sink into delusion.
The erudite is able to delve into the essence of the subject being studied. Despite the fact that he has skills from different areas, he knows how to focus on something specific at the moment and, most importantly, gain complete understanding.
Not all scientists are polymaths. For example, nematology, the science of studying the lower worms of Nematoda, is a branch of helminthology, but nematologists have theoretical knowledge and work experience only in their narrow specialty. An erudite scientist has knowledge and practice in all sections of helminthology. The same goes for education. Getting a profession, a person acquires an education, but the acquired knowledge concerns only his specialty. The erudite has an education that goes far beyond the limits of his profession.
Banal erudition and mosaic culture
At the end of the last century, the expression "From the point of view of banal erudition …" appeared. It has no connection with erudition and erudite people. The expression given means something that is known to the general population and does not require extensive and deep knowledge. The expression is used by those who want to appear smart, students who do not really know the answer to the exam question, and others.
Modern schools provide a comprehensive education. However, the phenomenon of mosaic culture is observed. On the one hand, the acquired knowledge is fundamental, on the other, this knowledge is superficial. As a result, a person scatters his attention on everything at once and cannot concentrate on one thing. Also, television and the Internet became the reason for the emergence of mosaic culture.