Be a Generalist, Even If You're a Specialist: Lessons From Guy Heyden
Today I want to talk about a topic that was discussed in a course I took at Gothenburg University (GU). The lecturer, a professor emeritus by the name of Guy Heyden, is something of an embodiment of the generalist concept. He has been active in more fields than I can pronounce, spanning everything from pathology, anthropology, histology and dentistry to sociology and oral health. This article stems from the lectures he delivered at GU.
Why we need generalists
Today we live in a global society with global issues. In such a community, we can no longer cling myopically to the same approach to education. We are no longer only in need of specialists, but of generalists: people familiar with several different disciplines, who can therefore develop a deeper and more holistic picture of the issues that arise.
What I am calling for is hardly a revolutionary idea, but rather a mindset that was dominant during the Renaissance and the centuries that followed. The academics of that time were rarely familiar with only one topic. Instead, they chose to have a finger in many different areas. Sir Isaac Newton not only produced masterpieces in the fields of mathematics and physics; he was also a philosopher and astronomer, and sat for a short period in the English Parliament. Similar generalist tendencies can be found in many other scholars of the early modern period, such as Copernicus, Leibniz and Jöns Jacob Berzelius.
A more recent example is perhaps Sweden's best-known poet and writer, August Strindberg, who not only mastered the literary arts but was also deeply involved in the natural sciences (especially chemistry), theater, art, politics and economics.
A tradition beyond the Western Renaissance
This tradition stretches far beyond the Western Renaissance. In the medieval Islamic world, we find several examples of polymaths who mastered many different disciplines. Al-Khwarizmi, for instance, is best known for his masterpiece Al-Jabr (algebra), in which he introduced systematic solutions to linear and quadratic equations. However, he did not limit himself to mathematics; he was also known for his contributions to geography and astronomy.
An even more prominent example from this era is Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen), who is often regarded as an early pioneer of the scientific method and who also worked in optics, medicine, astronomy, physics, ophthalmology, psychology, anatomy and engineering.
Put on the generalist's glasses
It is time for us to stop enclosing ourselves in one particular area and missing the bigger picture. Instead, we should put on the generalist's glasses and be able to see further than we previously imagined.
"It is wise to have decisions of great moment monitored by generalists. Experts and specialists lead you quickly into chaos. They are a source of useless nit-picking, the ferocious quibble over a comma. The mentat-generalist, on the other hand, should bring to decision-making a healthy common sense."
Frank Herbert, Dune