03 September 2009

Word for the day: "philomath"

A philomath... is a lover of learning, from Greek philos (“beloved,” “loving”) + Greek manthanein, math- (“to learn,” as in polymath). It is similar to but distinguished from philosophy in that “soph,” the latter suffix, specifies “wisdom” or “knowledge.”

“Philomath” is not synonymous with “polymath.” A philomath is a seeker of knowledge and facts, while a polymath is a possessor of knowledge in multiple fields.

The shift in meaning for “mathema” is likely a result of the rapid categorization during the time of Plato and Aristotle of their “mathemata” in terms of education: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music, which the Greeks found to create a “natural grouping” of mathematical (in our modern usage; “doctrina mathematica” for theirs) precepts.

Wikipedia abstract from proofmathisbeautiful, via contra natura.

3 comments:

  1. and there is a Philomath, OR where my father in law used to live... pronounced fill-oh-muth

    ReplyDelete
  2. And Philomath, GA, referred to in the R.E.M. song "Can't Get There from Here."

    ReplyDelete
  3. I grew up in Philomath, OR! lol for a long time I thought it meant love of math. Then I learned otherwise in middle school.

    ReplyDelete