Originally Posted by
Dave Cutter
That reminds me of a nurse I once knew. She asked me to take a couple hours to teach her computer science (I had recently completed some studies in that field at the time). I said sure... lets find 4 hours... and you can teach me everything a nurse needs to know too.
My humor was lost on her. She instead explained that nursing was complicated and required much study... and wasn't something that could be briefly shared (like computer science).
This specialty of studies isn't new... by any means. I remember the old book: The specialist – 1929
by Charles Sale. Or the Jewish Mystics from century's past. It is easy to think any field of study we know nothing about doesn't contain much knowledge.
It has nothing to do with how much or little knowledge a field of study 'contains.' It's simply about the willingness to explore information/knowledge and practice discipline that causes one to progress in abilities that one lacks. It's not a question of total mastery vs. absolute deficiency, but of whether you can transcend absolute deficiency at all. By doing so, you initiate progress toward mastery in any direction you are moving.
What's more, there are many overlapping competencies in different disciplines, so as you gain more knowledge and proficiency in various disciplines, you also gain more meta-competency at a more general level. You may not know all the details of something someone else has specialized in, but that shouldn't stop you from being able to apply your intelligence to thinking about issues. Only defensive, territorial people get angry about people outside their field/territory asking questions and weighing in with critical thinking.
If someone has an idea about something I know how to do, I don't mind listening to what they have to say and giving them my assessment of their thoughts. I figure they might have some insight that I lack, or they might gain insight from proposing things and listening to feedback from someone with more experience. Communication can always be fruitful, if people remain positive and constructive. It's when it degenerates into defensiveness and territorial ego-bickering that it becomes problematic.