A Renaissance Man is a man who is skilled at all tasks he attempts and has wide-ranging knowledge in many fields.
Top Renaissance Man characteristics include being highly educated, a gentleman, cultured in the arts and charismatic.
Explanation:#1 A Well-Rounded Education
Renaissance men are very well educated. They should be as comfortable talking about mathematics as they are talking about philosophy or sociology. Today, you can get a Renaissance man education by studying a liberal arts degree. With a liberal arts degree, you can (and often are required to) study a variety of subjects from many different disciplines.
#2 Self-Taught
The traditional Renaissance men didn’t only rely on organized classes to get an education. In fact, universities were very rare back in the Renaissance era! So, some of the best Renaissance men in history taught themselves. Today, you can be self-taught by conducting research online, reading books or listening to podcasts (my preferred method!). We sometimes use the term ‘auto-didactic’ to refer to people who are self-taught.
#3 A Free Thinker
The Renaissance men of history often had ideas that were controversial or even dangerous for their days! Some questioned the authority of the Church or created artworks that went against the trends of the day. They proposed revolutionary solutions to the problems of their days and were bold in promoting their ideas to friends and colleagues in high social circles.
#4 Analytical
Renaissance men have enough knowledge that they can analyze concepts from perspectives that their peers can’t. They can apply ideas from their diverse fields to develop their ideas. While a mono-math is only expert in one thing, a polymath (aka Renaissance man) can apply ideas he learned in philosophy to his architecture or engineering pursuits. To learn more about critical thinking, click here.
#5 Multilingual
Men from the Renaissance traversed Italy, France, Spain and Britain to promote their books and artwork. They were, like many Europeans of today, able to easily switch between European languages effortlessly. Their accents were almost perfect in each language they spoke, and of course they would read literature in the language in which it was originally written.
#6 Well Read
A renaissance man needs to be able to discuss the latest literature and news at any moment. In a social event, he may be asked his opinion on politics and he should skillfully and inoffensively show his knowledge. Similarly, he should be able to contribute his thoughts on a new novel in a way that shows he has put a great deal of thought into the topic.
#7 Sociable
A Renaissance man should be able to befriend and socialize with people of all social classes. He should be equally as comfortable speaking to the poor as he is to the king. However, Renaissance men tend to socialize with the powerful, wealthy and well-connected. The upper-class love to be entertained by a Renaissance man, who always has a remarkable anecdote to share on any topic.
#8 A Sportsman
As a well-rounded person, the Renaissance man’s impressive skills do not end with his superior intellect. He is also skilled at higher-class sports such as Polo, Sailing and Rugby. He is well above average on all sports he attempts from Day 1.
Today, posh boys’ boarding schools (particularly in England and Scotland) still attempt to breed Renaissance men by encouraging their young men to compete against each other in one or more of these higher-class sports.
#9 Brave
While the Renaissance man may express his bravery on the sports field, he is also expected to be able to fight for his honor and his nation whenever the time comes. Many of the greatest Renaissance men in history such as Benjamin Franklin were not just of high intellect, but also were warriors on the battlefield.
#10 Handsome
When we think of Renaissance men, we often think of men who are at their physical peak. Renaissance men are expected to have well-sculpted muscles forged through their many physical pursuits. Furthermore, they should be able to effortlessly prepare their hair (both on the head and face!) to complement their chiseled jaw and well-framed body.
