Itis,perhaps,noaccidentthatmanyoftheoutstandingfiguresofthepastwereexceptionallyversatilemen.Rightupuntilcomparativelyrecenttimes,itwaspossibleforanintelligentpersontoacquainthimselfwithalmosteverybranchofknowledge.Thus,menofgeniuslikeLeonardodaVinciorSirPhilipSidney,engagedinmanycareersatonceasamatterofcourse.
DaVinciwassobusywithhisnumerousinventions,thathebarelyfoundthetimetocompletehispaintings;Sidney,whodiedinbattlewhenhewasonlythirty-twoyearsold,wasnotonlyagreatsoldier,butabrilliantscholarandpoetaswell.BoththesemencameveryneartofulfillingtheRenaissanceidealofthe“universalman”,themanwhowasgoodateverything.
Today,werarely,ifever,hearthatamusicianhasjustinventedanewtypeofsubmarine.Knowledgehasbecomedividedandsub-dividedintocountless,narrowly-definedparts.Thespecialistisrespected;theversatileperson,farfrombeingadmired,ismoreoftenregardedwithsuspicion.Themodernworldisaworldofhighly-skilled“experts”whohavehadtodevotethegreaterpartoftheirlivestoaverylimitedfieldofstudyinordertocompetewiththeirfellows.
Withthishighdegreeofspecialization,thefrontiersofknowledgearesteadilybeingpushedbackmorerapidlythaneverbefore.Butthishasnotbeenachievedwithoutconsiderablecost.Thescientist,whooutsidehisownparticularsubjectislittlemorethananidiot,isamodernphenomenon;asisthemanofletterswhoisbarelyawareofthetremendousstridesthathavebeenmadeintechnology.
Similarly,specializationhasindirectlyaffectedquiteordinarypeopleineverywalkoflife.Manyactivitieswhichwereoncepursuedfortheirownsakes,areoftengivenupindespair:theyrequiretechniques,theexpertstellus,whichtakealife-timetomaster.Whylearntoplaythepiano,whenyoucanlistentotheworld’sgreatestpianistsinyourowndrawing-room?