The short definition of the Polymathic Subculture is that in addition to subscribing to Western culture, it cherishes erudition, as exemplified by a lifestyle of life long learning, objectivity and intellectual sophistication. Essentially, the more you learn, the more you think, the more you realize just how alien your perspective is to the Progressives, Christian Conservatives, Enterprise Conservatives and traditional Liberals that dominate the contemporary cultural and political landscape. And, make no mistake. This is quite a bit more than idle coffee shop debate. It is also about lifestyles, politics and, well, a whole lot more.

Western Culture is quickly approaching a time when not choosing sides will be problematic. And, if you are inclined toward intellectual sophistication, none of your alternatives are at all self-affirming. In fact, at the risk of offending some readers, it is a lose, lose, lose, lose proposition. I mean, if one has even a modicum of objectivity, choosing between 'woke' and 'fundamental' is a depressing choice. In other words, when we hit the point where we MUST choose, we are going to want a Polymathic subculture to be an meaningful alternative. Hopefully, by then, there will be enough serious participants in the subculture to make it happen.

Education of our children is an obvious point of contention. While many in Western culture are still ignoring it, the subcultures are in a pitched battle over the socialization of the children. We don't want our children indoctrinated with counterfactual narratives about climate, human sexuality, etc. However, we also don't want them indoctrinated with simplistic and counterfactual descriptions of the origin of the species (for example). Also, as Polymathicans, we typically engage in lifelong, primarily autodidactic learning. It would be great if the K-12 structure would prepare our children for that life. However, no matter which of the main subcultures comes to dominate the institutions of public education, that just isn't going to happen. And, I would argue, it shouldn't. We are different and we need a different pedagogy.

Many of us are perplexed by the apparent silliness that has overtaken the popular culture. If it was simply a matter of our entertainers spouting nonsense in their interviews, we could live with it. However, the 'woke' silliness is seeping into every aspect of Western culture. We are dragging our military officers, our corporate professionals, etc. into indoctrination sessions on 'gender sensitivity', white fragility, etc. Corporate policy has become 'woke' and is promulgating the silliness on a society wide basis. We would be just as offended by a 'Christian Conservative' takeover of society's institutions, but that is not a serious threat. Woke culture is.

I will confess that if I was forced to choose, I would join the Enterprise subculture, not because I really belong there but because it is the least silly. If forced to choose, you might choose one of the others as the best of a sorry lot. It doesn't matter. If we subscribe to the principles of Intellectual Sophistication, we don't belong in any of them.

The point to this short essay is that we are not yet required to choose. However, at the rate that 'woke' Progressives are coming to dominate the popular culture and the ferocity with which the Christian Conservatives and Enterprise Conservatives are responding, that will not be true for much longer. The demonization of the other side and the emergence of a 'either you are with us or you are against us' mentality are solidifying with frightening rapidity. I just hope that we can find enough Polymathicans with enough vision and drive to give us a meaningful alternative when the time comes that we need it.