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by craftyguy 3040 days ago
> Why do we no longer have Renaissance men/women today, contributing to the sciences, philosophy and the arts? What did we lose?

A lot of the low-hanging fruit has already been claimed, and it's very difficult now for amateurs to make discoveries in mathematics and physics. There are people today doing amazing research, it just takes a career and a team (and in many cases expensive equipment) to do so.

If by "Renaissance men/women" you mean "well-versed/engaged in many topics", well, you just need to open your eyes. There are many folks like this now, likely millions. It was a bit more of a rarity a few hundred years ago, so it was much easier for these individuals to be documented/preserved.