With this post we move into the exploration of the twelve “subjective” factors proposed in the last post. This initial factor is actually a two-part question:
1) Did C.S. Lewis demonstrate the intelligence of a genius?
2) Was C.S. Lewis a polymath?
I do not anticipate any members of the C.S. Lewis Forum, or others who are following this series, will have a problem assenting to this first question. By any measure, C.S. Lewis was a great genius. I have not yet seen an estimate of his IQ, but that does not dissuade me in the least.
So, why is this important? For one thing, erudition has been proposed as one of five categories of genius (perhaps there are more). The “genius of erudition” requires an exceedingly powerful mind–not just a mind rife with wisdom, nor just a brain with an IQ over 140 that can solve complex problems. The “genius of erudition” requires a person to have mind with a capacity to comprehend new information and, more importantly, to store that new information for reliable recall later. Few have the former, fewer still the latter.
Erudition does indeed overlap with wisdom (Socrates) and natural intelligence (Einstein), but those two categories of genius are not primarily about erudition. Neither are the other categories of genius, including creativity (Beethoven) or inventiveness (Tesla). In a way, erudition stands apart. It warrants its own category.
The definition of “genius” put forth in the lexicons has three primary components. First, genius is evidenced by an exceptional intellectual capacity that leads to profound insights and deep knowledge. Anyone who has read The Abolition of Man, or The Problem of Pain, or the sermon “Transposition” knows this to be true of C.S. Lewis.
So, CHECK!
Second, genius is manifested in consummate natural creative talent. Here again, anyone who has read The Chronicles of Narnia, or The Great Divorce knows this also to be true of C.S. Lewis.
Again, CHECK!
Third, genius is accompanied with the verifiable production of work (or works) that constitutes real achievement. Apparently, achievement implies a meaningful contribution to the ascent, or well-being, of humanity. This, I believe, is the important thing here.
Put another way, to be “erudite” one must do more than just slam information into one’s noggin’ or pass countless mind-numbing manuscripts before one’s eyes. Anyone can do that. But (to play devil’s advocate) I would ask: Can just about anyone completely understand what they just read? The answer is No. Can just about anyone retain that information, such that it can be recalled even a mere two weeks after a reading, let alone 20 years later? Again, the answer is NO. Erudition means presently known, not previously known.
The more important question is: Can just about anyone do something productive with, or about, the knowledge they possess? Realistically, the answer is NO.
The definition of “genius” spells it out clearly. To be an authentic genius one must be more than naturally talented or gifted. One must also be productive. So, too, it is with the “genius of erudition.” No amount of reading will matter if the reader fails to do something useful, or something truly beautiful, or something amazingly creative as a product of that knowledge.
So, once again, for C.S. Lewis . . . CHECK!
The second question is: Was C.S. Lewis a polymath?
This is more difficult. The lexicons define “polymath” as a person with wide-ranging learning spanning multiple subjects. There is no official set of quantifiable criteria, it is a “soft” label. Here again, the “acid test” of polymathy seems not merely to have great knowledge, but to do something great with it. Better yet to do something ingenious, thereby solving a complex problem in each major category of learning.
The label “polymath” applies to very few intellectual giants in history. On the graphic I have depicted ten people who are widely considered to have been polymaths. This includes:
- Aristotle
- Hildegard of Bingen
- Leonardo da Vinci (generally thought to be the greatest ever)
- Blaise Pascal
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
- Emanuel Swedenborg
- Ben Franklin
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Nikola Tesla
Each of these great “multi-faceted” geniuses had at least three (perhaps more) fields of knowledge in which they not only possessed encyclopedic knowledge, but they also produced great works. To be sure, there are others not depicted in the graphic, but the list is not long.
Next to them there is a picture of C.S. Lewis. In my estimation Lewis had encyclopedic knowledge in multiple fields AND he produced works of great value, perhaps even genius, in more than one.
As I said at the start of this post, the first question is easy. C.S. Lewis was indisputably a great genius. Certainly, he had an extraordinary mind with the capacity to comprehend new information and, more importantly, to retain it for later use. But we are not just debating his credentials as a genius. We are weighing the plausibility of the premise that C.S. Lewis might be the “most erudite person ever.”
So, why am I raising a second question asking whether C.S. Lewis was a polymath? As Albert Lewis might have said: “It goes to the credibility of “erudition”. Some in the Forum have challenged my premise stating that Lewis’ fields of knowledge were narrow. Certainly, his base of knowledge was bereft of mathematics, and included precious little on science. But math and science are not usually thought of as “literary learning.” If Lewis truly was a polymath, then by definition his fields of literary learning were not narrow, but diverse.
Let me be clear on one thing: I suspect ALL great geniuses, especially those who are considered “polymaths”, were (are) exceedingly erudite. But only one person is the most erudite person in history. Will we be able to determine who that person is? Probably not. Still, I propose that it is plausible that C.S. Lewis might just be that person.
Please stay with me on this. This proposition will become more interesting as we move forward. I think you will find much of what follows to be intriguing, perhaps even fun.
If you are enjoying the dialogue, please consider joining the C.S. Lewis Forum.
Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
Erudition Series Index
