Specialisation is for insects?
Heinlein wrote that a competent person, a basic type of polymath, should be able to perform the left-hand column of tasks. I've generalised these, and updated them for fun.
Heinlein | Generalisation |
Change a diaper | Take care of an infant, |
plan an invasion, | create a complex plan, |
butcher a hog, | source food, |
conn a ship, | navigate between two points, |
design a building, | understand needed shelter, |
write a sonnet, | communicate beautifully, |
balance accounts, | manage resources, |
build a wall, | protect resources, |
set a bone, | perform basic medical care, |
comfort the dying, | comfort a person in distress, |
take orders, | work in a hierarchy, |
give orders, | manager others, |
cooperate, | work with others, |
act alone, | work alone, |
solve equations, | solve problems that have been solved, |
analyze a new problem, | understand a new problem, |
pitch manure, | shovel shit, |
program a computer, | perform a complex, indirectly related task, |
cook a tasty meal, | cook food, |
fight efficiently, | defend resources, |
die gallantly. | accept failure. |
"Specialisation", lest we forget, "is for insects."
