First, because the "self-educated" part is irrelevant here. But more importantly, the difference is in the degree. Generalism is a matter of interests and focu

First, because the "self-educated" part is irrelevant here. But more importantly, the difference is in the degree. Generalism is a matter of interests and focus. A Renaissance person is an ideal and an outcome. The Renaissance ideal was that elite men should strive to be good at everything they do. In the recent history, the people who have been called Renaissance men were typically at the top of their fields, with significant accomplishments in other fields. And those accomplishments take time.