Is Specialisation Really Just For Insects?

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. - Robert A. Heinlein (by way of Lazarus Long)

Yes, I finally found the quote I mentioned here.

Robert Anson Heinlein is a military man, a physicist, a poet, an architect, a politician, a real-estate agent, an engineer, a mining consultant, and a writer, according to this BBC article.

While I do believe that focus is important in achieving goals and realising plans, I have always been fascinated with the idea of the ‘renaissance man/woman’ - the diversified individual.

One Trackback

  1. By Shai Coggins » How To Develop A Complete Min on 30 May 2004 at 1:05 pm
    1

    [...] o Da Vinci [painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, inventor, and scientist], on Specialisation and Diversification (among other things): [...]

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *

*
*

  • Etsy Shop

  • Misc

    View blog reactions