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Opsimath

An opsimath is a person who begins, or continues, to study or learn late in life. The word is derived from the Greek ὀψέ ( ), meaning 'late', and μανθάνω ( ), meaning 'learn'. Opsimathy was once frowned upon, used as a put-down with implications of laziness, and considered less effective by educators than early learning. The emergence of "opsimath clubs" has demonstrated that opsimathy has shed much of this negative connotation. Notable opsimaths include 19th-century army officer and orientalist Sir Henry Rawlinson, Vivian Stanshall's fictitious character Sir Henry Rawlinson, 11h-century Chinese scholar‌ Su Xun, Grandma Moses, Rabbi Akiva (according to the Talmud, he began studying at age 40), and Cato the Elder, who learned Greek only at the age of 80.

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Article summary

An opsimath is a person who begins, or continues, to study or learn late in life. The word is derived from the Greek ὀψέ ( ), meaning 'late', and μανθάνω ( ), meaning 'learn'. Opsimathy was once frowned upon, used as a put-down with implications of laziness, and considered less effective by educators than early learning. The emergence of "opsimath clubs" has demonstrated that opsimathy has shed much of this negative connotation. Notable opsimaths include 19th-century army officer and orientalist Sir Henry Rawlinson, Vivian Stanshall's fictitious character Sir Henry Rawlinson, 11h-century Chinese scholar‌ Su Xun, Grandma Moses, Rabbi Akiva (according to the Talmud, he began studying at age 40), and Cato the Elder, who learned Greek only at the age of 80.

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Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.