Slow-burning knowledge
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
In my own life, I’ve avoided specialisation, mainly through a character trait that keeps me interested in a lot of topics. Actually I think it’s somewhat helpful as a creative to keep broad interests, as it gives a broader base for inspiration.
That said, I’ve got great admiration for the lifelong dedication of others, especially since the depth and range of human knowledge has made impractical the Victorian idea of the polymath; someone at the pinnacle of their field in a range of arts and sciences. So I was fascinated to read about one of the most extreme examples of this I have come across: the inventor of a new artificial heart based on cockroach anatomy, who has been working on this since 1960, and can see it going into production in 2015. That’s 55 years. Well done that man. I hope he enjoys a happy retirement.
