Renaissance humanism is a holistic philosophy that states that to be fully “human”, one should strive for perfection in all things. The ideal of this philosophy was the polymath, embodied by people such as Leonardo da Vinci.

That ideal is considered all but impossible to fulfill these days, since the breadth and depth of knowledge has grown enormously in the past century. Except for some small interdisciplinary research efforts, which typically span at most two disciplines and usually involve specialized experts in both fields collaborating, hyperspecialization is now the norm.

One solution to this state, which I believe pathological and suboptimal, is to raise the intellectual capacity of thinkers to meet this larger and more complex body of knowledge. Though there is no doubt in my mind that talented individuals can function as polymaths (so long as society tolerates them), most thinkers either cannot or will not. I strongly believe that if intellectual capacity is augmented, we will see the return of the polymath… so long as people are still willing to pursue beauty wherever it lies.

That may not be a good thing, for transhumanism could as easily destroy our sense of humanity as augment it. The tradeoff might not be worth it.