“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.“
This is a quote from the science fiction writer Robert Heinlein, from the 1973 book Time Enough for Love.
I agree with the overall point, but when you look at the specific examples, some of them seem like real head-scratchers in today’s world. You have to remember that Heinlein was writing this from his own context. He grew up on a farm, then was in the Navy, in general had a somewhat militaristic mindset, and was writing this 50 years ago.
The world has moved more toward specialization in the last half-century, and that’s a good thing. It’s allowed us to make enormous technological advancements, gain far more free time, and brought billions of people out of poverty. But that doesn’t mean we should be purely specialized, and Heinlein’s overall point is still correct. There are skills any well-rounded person ought to have
However, in the time since he wrote that, certain tasks have become obsolete, and others have become pointless for regular people to know because they’re only ever used by specialists. Meanwhile, there are new important skills that have arisen in areas that simply didn’t exist in the early 70s, or which Heinlein wasn’t paying attention to.
How would we update this into something that makes more sense for the modern world?
First, let’s go through what he has on the list to see what should be removed or altered.
Change a diaper: That should stay on the list. (I admit I don’t know how to do this given my lack of experience with kids, but in general that’s a skill people ought to know.)
Plan an invasion: This should never have been on the list in the first place. Why would a normal person need to know this? I mean, maybe if you’re playing a strategy board game that involves a make-believe invasion, but it’s not like that’s going to have any resemblance to really planning a real invasion in the real world. And I seriously doubt Heinlein himself had the slightest clue how to plan an invasion, though he probably thought he did. That’s a skill that only a few top generals have, and most of them aren’t very good at it.
Butcher a hog: This is one of those skills that only specialists need to know. If you aren’t a farmer and don’t work in a slaughterhouse, when is this ever going to be relevant in your life?
Conn a ship: Why? This is just so arbitrary. Why not fly an airplane, or drive a train? I mean, if you’re talking about a motorboat or small pontoon boat where the only controls are throttle and steering and you can get the hang of it in 30 seconds, sure. (But you also don’t really need to know it, because if there’s ever a reason you need to pilot a motorboat or small pontoon boat, well, you can get the hang of it in 30 seconds.) But if you’re talking about a big ship, I assume these are super complicated, and very few people will ever need to know how to pilot one. I’m guessing Heinlein included it on the list because of his Naval background and it was something he knew how to do.
Design a building: Just hire an architect. And sorry, if you aren’t an architect, you aren’t capable of designing a building that’s up to code.
Write a sonnet: Okay, I’ll give him this one. Although I’d change it to be a little more general as “Write something beautiful.”
Balance accounts: Yes, you do need to know that.
Build a wall: I don’t know about specifically building a wall, but you probably should know some basic carpentry and handy work.
Set a bone: Let’s make this a bit more general to “Perform first aid.”
Comfort the dying: This is his militarism coming through. If you aren’t a hospital, ambulance, or hospice worker, or a soldier in combat, you aren’t going to spend a lot of time around the dying. But being able to comfort people in general is a useful skill. Let’s change this to “comfort the miserable.”
Take orders: Yes. Even outside of a military context, you should be able to do what your boss tells you.
Give orders: Yes.
Cooperate: Obviously.
Act Alone: Duh.
Solve Equations: Equations aren’t so relevant to most people in their daily life. Let’s change this to “Do arithmetic and understand statistics.”
Analyze a new problem: Yes.
Pitch manure: Not specifically if you don’t work on a farm. But you should be able to perform basic manual labor.
Program a computer: That’s for specialists. But you should be able to set up and trouble-shoot a computer.
Cook a tasty meal: Yes.
Fight efficiently: What? A better human should be able to avoid a fight in the first place.
Die gallantly: More of his militaristic mindset. How about living wisely so you don’t need to die gallantly? (Though that’s super vague, so I wouldn’t include it on the list.)
So now we’ve narrowed down/altered the list to be:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, write something beautiful, balance accounts, do basic carpentry and handy-work, perform first aid, comfort the miserable, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, do arithmetic, understand statistics, analyze a new problem, perform manual labor, set up and trouble-shoot a computer, cook a tasty meal, and avoid a fight.
But what else should be added to the list?
Well, I think the list is lacking in interpersonal skills. I’d add persuade someone to change their mind, calm someone down, teach a concept, throw a party, read body language, make small talk, and have a deep conversation.
It’s also light on creativity. We should add compose a story, sing a song, draw a picture, pick out a fashionable outfit, tell a joke, and decorate a room.
(I personally can’t sing a song or draw a picture, but nobody’s perfect.)
Then there’s modern business skills: Give a presentation, put together a resume, negotiate a deal, design a web page, manage their time, and use Excel.
And a few other random skills: Drive a car, change a tire, meditate, navigate an unfamiliar city, find a good deal online
So my altered version of the quote becomes:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, write something beautiful, balance accounts, do basic carpentry and handy-work, perform first aid, comfort the miserable, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, do arithmetic, understand statistics, analyze a new problem, perform manual labor, set up and trouble-shoot a computer, cook a tasty meal, avoid a fight, persuade someone to change their mind, calm someone down, teach a concept, throw a party, read body language, make small talk, have a deep conversation, compose a story, sing a song, draw a picture, pick out a fashionable outfit, tell a joke, decorate a room, give a presentation, put together a resume, negotiate a deal, design a web page, manage their time, use Excel, drive a car, change a tire, meditate, navigate an unfamiliar city, and find a good deal online. Specialization is for insects.
What do you think? Do you agree with what I removed from Heinlein’s list, and what I added in? Are any of my items redundant or unnecessary? What other items would you add?
I think your modifications are reasonable.
One quibble:
Non architects can and do design and build code compliant houses. My parents built two. Building codes exist as much to protect rent-seeking building trades as they do to “protect” home owners.