Project Polymath was conceived after two years of long and thorough examination of the faults of typical modern academic institutions. Thoughts on how to rectify these problems yielded the following principles, which underlie the vision and plans of the university:
- Full potential: Any education worthy of the term must strive to draw forth a student's full potential. It is not enough to stop halfway and proclaim “this student meets our standards”; the loss of potential accomplishment already resulting from this attitude is incalculable. The question we ask should be “Does this student's education meet his own standards?” Will it fully serve his goals and complement his aptitudes? If not, the education is insufficient. Talent should never be left to wither.
- No artificial barriers: There is no reason to hold a student already demonstrating mastery of a subject - it wastes the time of everyone involved. Let him move on as he is able and willing. Requirements for advancement should be predicated only upon ability.
- No conflicts, no servitude: To set one student's freedom at odds with another's - or the freedom of the students against that of the faculty - or the freedom of the individual against society - is a false dichotomization. Students must follow their own visions, heedless of those whose only purpose in life is to negate theirs. We believe the primary purpose of a proper education is to help students attain these visions. Since these ideals improve the status quo, helping students attain their individual dreams ultimately benefits all of humanity.
- Creation is a virtue: Creation gives purpose to knowledge. Bringing new ideas, new perspectives, and new implementations into the world moves us all forward. A proper education thus not only imparts knowledge, but encourages its use.
- Open-minded: Although we encourage students to scrutinize and judge ideas, and to adopt them or not as they see fit, we recognize that censorship based on extreme or methodological skepticism can be very dangerous, as it can easily block the expression of revolutionary ideas. Moreover, it is undesirable to spend so much time judging ideas that one never creates any of one's own - excessive judgment can easily kill creativity. Therefore, we encourage students and scholars, even in the sciences, to be open rather than closed-minded.
- Intellectual egalitarianism: A good idea is a good idea, whoever generates it. Anyone with a promising idea should be free to pursue it.
- Don't presume: The student knows his own goals best. It is not the place of his educators to presume what a student may wish to do with his education, but rather to provide him the tools necessary to attain his own goals. Thus, any opportunities such as internships, faculty-sponsored research, and studying abroad should be entirely voluntary, never required. We can recommend and guide, but we should never force. The student should always have the final say in matters concerning his own career.
These principles outline what we believe to be the ideal university: a place of learning and creation where students and faculty may find limitless tools to achieve their own goals and realize the full extent of their talents, however diverse they may be. As simple as this may seem, we have yet to find an existing academic institution that operates under these principles. This necessitates a new solution.
