Interesting articles on Expert-Generalist

[Arcadia]

An article about Elon Musk led me to google on Expert-Generalist which turns up interesting views.

 

From Billionaire Charlie Munger's favorite life hack can help anyone be more successful http://www.businessinsider.com/charlie-mungers-favorite-life-hack-2015-4

"While Munger has certainly worked long and hard to become one of the world’s top investors, the signature of his success is different. According to his own account, rather than focusing on investment theory like a laser, he has studied widely and deeply in many fields, including microeconomics, psychology, law, mathematics, biology, and engineering, and applied insights from them to investing.

 

Warren Buffett has said of Munger, “He is truly the broadest thinker I have ever encountered. From business principles to economic principles to the design of student dormitories to the design of a catamaran he has no equal… Our longest correspondence was a detailed discussion on the mating habits of naked mole rats and what the human species might learn from them.†Munger has, in short, been the ultimate expert-generalist."

 

"Many of the top scientists, business leaders, inventors and artists throughout time have also achieved their breakthrough successes by being an expert-generalist. Albert Einstein was trained in physics, but to formulate his law of general relativity, he taught himself an area of mathematics far removed from his expertise, Riemannian geometry.

 

James Watson and Francis Crick combined discoveries in X-ray diffraction technology, chemistry, evolutionary theory and computation to solve the puzzle of the double helix. Steve Jobs, of course, drew on insights from his study of calligraphy and a rich understanding of design to create a new breed of computing devices."

 

This was the Elon Musk article I was reading How Elon Musk learns faster and better than everyone else https://qz.com/968101/how-elon-musk-learns-faster-and-better-than-everyone-else/

[SJ.]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting!

[chocolate-chip chooky]

Arcadia, that's a really interesting article. Thanks for posting it. I think I'll share it with my (so far) generalist daughter.

 

And, actually, big big thanks for posting all the interesting articles you post. I'd never come across them otherwise.

[luuknam]

Is that the new word for Renaissance man?

[Arcadia]

Is that the new word for Renaissance man?

I don't know. There are articles about how to become a modern renaissance man. Just thought the concept of expert-generalist interesting in the context of classical education. Like the concept of writing across the curriculum.

 

I thought Renaissance man has certain specified areas to be master of. However, when I check Britannica, their description was

"Thus the gifted men of the Renaissance sought to develop skills in all areas of knowledge, in physical development, in social accomplishments, and in the arts. "

[Guest]

Jack of all trades, master of one :)

[Black-eyed Suzan]

Thanks for posting! Very interesting article. And I agree that it seems to support the idea of a classical education, whatever field the child is ultimately pursues.

 

It did rub me the wrong way that they included people like Warren Buffet and Aristotle in the same category, but I'll get over that. 

[Runningmom80]

Love this! My DS is academically a generalist although he specializes in music. He prefers being a generalist. We had a "learning meeting" the other day and he basically told me he wants to learn everything. :)

[mathnerd]

Is that the new word for Renaissance man?

Yes, that is what I thought.