Very insightful. Specialists are obviously necessary but I like how you've taken apart societal dependence on the expertise of specialists. This says a lot I'll be pondering for a long time: "specialisation has ultimately led to a divisive community without social responsibility."
Thank you! I think my view on specialisation being inherently divisive was somewhat perpetuated by my experience in academia where one’s speciality becomes a point of differentiation and leverage to attract funding etc, sometimes for self-gain. The notion of collaboration and social corporation (at times) seems to be more of a conceptual construct rather than part of a broader plan for positive social impact…at least in my mind.
I think finding a niche is very useful in a business context, especially in the context of the content creation business. In the age of the internet and web 2.0, it is very easy for your offering to drown in the ocean of competition. On the other hand, when you "niche down", you play in your own little league. As Peter Thiel famously said, you don't want to be the best, you want to be the only one. (I'm not sure if it was really Peter Thiel, but he has a very similar quote)
Being a generalist topic-wise can still be very valuable if you niche down on the specifics of some other kind, like the type of service, delivery channel, etc.
Great points Cletus and thanks for responding. Definitely agree that having a niche can provide an unrivalled competitive advantage. I guess a generalist mindset becomes useful when thinking about how one should find meaning and purpose in life in broader terms. Maybe a clever interplay between niche-identification and generalist thinking is the way forward. Definitely an intriguing subject to think about.
Very insightful. Specialists are obviously necessary but I like how you've taken apart societal dependence on the expertise of specialists. This says a lot I'll be pondering for a long time: "specialisation has ultimately led to a divisive community without social responsibility."
Thank you! I think my view on specialisation being inherently divisive was somewhat perpetuated by my experience in academia where one’s speciality becomes a point of differentiation and leverage to attract funding etc, sometimes for self-gain. The notion of collaboration and social corporation (at times) seems to be more of a conceptual construct rather than part of a broader plan for positive social impact…at least in my mind.
That is a very good analysis that those of us outside academic don't really have an insight on.
I think finding a niche is very useful in a business context, especially in the context of the content creation business. In the age of the internet and web 2.0, it is very easy for your offering to drown in the ocean of competition. On the other hand, when you "niche down", you play in your own little league. As Peter Thiel famously said, you don't want to be the best, you want to be the only one. (I'm not sure if it was really Peter Thiel, but he has a very similar quote)
Being a generalist topic-wise can still be very valuable if you niche down on the specifics of some other kind, like the type of service, delivery channel, etc.
Great points Cletus and thanks for responding. Definitely agree that having a niche can provide an unrivalled competitive advantage. I guess a generalist mindset becomes useful when thinking about how one should find meaning and purpose in life in broader terms. Maybe a clever interplay between niche-identification and generalist thinking is the way forward. Definitely an intriguing subject to think about.