Excessive specialization is oftentimes overrated
Czech Republic currently has 1+2+2 Olympic medals which places us at the 13th spot correct at nowadays – instant amid the countries amongst 1 gilt after Nippon too ahead of Slovak brothers amongst 1+2+0 who got their gilt from Russian-born biathlete Nasťa Kuzminová. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 20 times lower population of Czechoslovakia is plenty to earn the same 8 medals as the Unistatians. ;-)
We got a silvery medal from Ms Martina Sáblíková, a speed skater: it's her sixth Olympic medal. She's also competing inwards wheel competitions – around other instance of the versatility I volition discuss. Because of her imperfect wellness inwards the recent twelvemonth (and because of her fourth spot inwards the inaugural off Korean race), her traditional Dutch foes withdraw keep argued that she would win no medal inwards 2018 so this insult has made her (and her coach) motivated too she scooped at to the lowest degree this silver.
Ester Ledecká
Ms Eva Samková took bronze inwards snowboard cross. She uses the nickname "samice" related to her surname – a "female individual" – but to emphasize that "samice" is really derived from "samec", a "male individual", she oftentimes sports a mistaken mustache. (In Western Europe too the U.S., the feminists could assail her fifty-fifty for this cute slice of fashion.) She also turns her jacket within out during the ceremonies – that ritual has worked for her so far too she did it twenty-four hours ago, too.
Some of the inaugural off medals were won past times Ms Veronika Vítková too Mr Michal Krčmář, the solely Czech manly someone medal from Korea so far. You could straight off conclude that due to this 4-to-1 score, Czech men physically suck relatively to the rather attractive too athletic Czech women. And your hypothesis would withdraw keep a niggling toad of the truth inwards it but at that spot are also ways to acquaint the history that facial expression less skewed. Hours ago, Czech ice-hockey men defeated Canada (2-to-3 on penalisation shootouts) so of course of study nosotros ever believe that a provide to the 1998 Nagano gilt house is possible inwards that Czechia's favorite sport, too.
OK, our inaugural off gilt medal was just won past times Ms Ester Ledecká, inwards women's super-G race. That would locomote unspectacular from the global perspective of TRF readers – just around other gilt medal going to ane of the šitholes inwards Europe. And after all, lots of people did await a gilt from Ms Ledecká.
There's a catch, however. For years, Ms Ester Ledecká has been winning medals inwards snowboarding. This is a gilt medal from skiing! She borrowed the skis from Mikaela Shiffrin (the American eliminated these skis a twelvemonth ago) too won. It's that simple.
And it makes sense. If someone had told me that bookmakers make me 100 to 1 on her gold, I would withdraw keep bet thousands of dollars. Really.
These disciplines could facial expression rattling similar but, as fans of onetime Czech president Klaus know, they couldn't locomote farther apart. Why? Because skiing is a nice, conservative, right-wing sport spell snowboarding is ane of the left-wing sports!
Journalist: “Why are yous wearing goggles?” Ester Ledecká: “I was non as prepared as the other girls to locomote on the podium, so I don't withdraw keep no makeup!” Aside from the commercial for her instructor of English, it sounds similar a goodness prank but I really believe that it was the genuine ground too she's been frank most it. She really didn't believe inwards her medal much. After she completed the race past times the stunning acceleration finish, she clearly needed much to a greater extent than time to figure out what the fourth dimension on the scoreboard meant. ;-) Shortly afterwards, she came to her favorite KFC – KFC is what saved me from Hunger inwards Santa Cruz, too. Northern California is otherwise a hungry šithole for Czechs similar me.
Klaus has never given me a fully satisfactory explanation of this legendary contestation of his so I mostly persuasion it as a joke. But if I empathize well, snowboarding is a left-wing sport (like floorball too others) because of around combination of reasons:
- It's a relatively recent modification derived from the old, well-established sports, so it's non every bit conservative
- Snowboarders are oftentimes getting inwards the way of skier Klaus on the slopes. Because he's right-wing too they're annoying, they're likely left-wing
- Snowboarding needs a somewhat cheaper, too hence left-wing, equipment, spell successful too hence right-wing people similar Klaus may afford skis ;-)
There's around other left-vs-right number that makes me experience peculiarly satisfied because of this gilt medal. As a kid, inwards the 1980s, I could follow around contests inwards Alpine skiing. That has been a bunch of disciplines that were almost completely dominated past times the "Alpine capitalist countries" – Switzerland, Austria, Germany, possibly Scandinavia. The communist (and too so post-communist) countries seemingly had no chance. One obvious ground is that non besides many people could afford holidays inwards the Alps. Times withdraw keep changed. Lots of Czechs are spending their opor-garai inwards the Alps too similar "Western European mountains" too this "new wind" inwards the results of the Alpine races is compatible amongst the increased wealth of the Czech tourists, if non a sign of it. But don't overstate the previous sentences: Ledecká oftentimes trains inwards Špindler's Mill, a famous North Bohemian "Sudeten" resort! But non solely there. Indeed, amongst her the States coach, her preparation inwards Colorado is likely to a greater extent than important.
I liked her professional person approach. She – using the nickname STR robot for herself – was getting cook for the race inwards a perfectionist way too solitude, refusing to encounter other members of the Olympic team, Czech too unusual journalists. (One of her explanations is really as company as Sheldon Cooper's: she views all these people primarily as potential carriers of viral infections!) This is the correct way to switch to a right-wing heroine. Some of her colleagues bragged how collectivist they withdraw keep been too they sort of partied – too brought us no medals. Two days ago, a Czech Public Radio reporter Mr Miroslav Bureš ran a diatribe against Ledecká because she didn't desire to verbalize to him. So she was the worst ane amid the Czech athletes, ever, too behaved similar if she were ane of the athletes who withdraw keep really achieved something. Soon afterwards, Ester Ledecká sent this obnoxious troll to the aßhole, just where ethical athletes should ship such jerks – too Bureš compared her to President Zeman on Twitter (which was supposed to locomote an insult). Now, ii days later, the troll's recommended trip to the aßhole should locomote considered much to a greater extent than seriously!
Mr Janek Ledecký: "I volition locomote anything yous volition wish". I embedded the vocal for ii reasons: Ms Ester Ledecká tin also locomote anything nosotros wishing too convey various Olympic medals. Second, Mr Janek Ledecký is Ms Ester Ledecká's proud manly someone nurture (who has paid around one-half a 1000000 dollars for the beginnings of his daughter's career; she bought her dad a Mustang around ii years ago, nice). Fans of a the States swimmer should know: Surnames Ledecký/Ledecká are masculine/feminine adjectives pregnant "from Ledce". There are 5 villages summation 2 hamlet parts amongst this call (which really isn't derived from "ice" i.e. "led" but from "lado" i.e. for soil "not to locomote ploughed") inwards Czechia; the "largest" ane (814 inhabitants) too likely the "right one" behind the call is a hamlet less than 10 miles North of Pilsen. Only 146+143 people inwards Czech Republic are named Ledecký+Ledecká. Because of these tiny numbers, I experience 99% for sure that Ester, Katie Ledecký had a mutual patrilineal ancestor inwards recent 300 years, which I told Katie. Ester's maternal gramps was January Klapáč, a two-time Olympic ice-hockey medalist.
But allow me provide to the primary point. Some athletes – but also people inwards the intellectual globe that I assist much to a greater extent than most – are oftentimes rather versatile. Ledecká is evidently world-class both inwards snowboarding too skiing. Incidentally, her inaugural off sport was hockey. But nosotros withdraw keep other examples. As I mentioned, around other chronic Olympic medal winner, Ms Martina Sáblíková, competes both inwards speed skating and... wheel races. (I know that North American readers withdraw keep similar examples of this versatility.)
Specialization has been a business office of the progress. And to around extent, it's unavoidable. Especially inwards sciences, people withdraw keep acquired a huge amount of noesis too skills too if ane wants to locomote really world-class scientist or something, he should know "everything" inwards around grouping of insights too skills. But at that spot are so many insights too skills that "everything" may hateful at most "everything inwards a rather express discipline".
And because the contender strengthens too the trunk of insights grows, the specialization is arguably getting increasingly to a greater extent than extreme.
I recall that around of this procedure really is inevitable but people err on both sides. Some people travail to completely deny – or demonize – the procedure of specialization too pretend that we're soundless inwards ancient Hellenic Republic where nifty people could withdraw keep been polymaths that knew – too could practise – everything that was possible. We're clearly non inwards ancient Hellenic Republic anymore. This is clearly misunderstood past times many. If you're a theoretical physicist too people await yous to locomote a star inwards multiplying large integers inwards your head, well, they likely misunderstood your specialization. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 theoretical physicist isn't quite the same affair as an idiot savant although most physicists are much ameliorate at multiplication than the average people (and maybe fifty-fifty than average mathematicians).
However, around people also err on the other side. They believe that the extreme specialization is a miraculous cure for everything too basically every successful someone is too has to locomote an extreme Fachidiot, an overspecialized person. That's also how around coaches are preparing their athletes. And that's how sports fans sometimes facial expression at the athletes, too. You know, I honey this outsider story as good but I believe that if many to a greater extent than transcend athletes tried to locomote nifty inwards following sports, many of them would locomote great. They don't travail because the rattling narrow focus is considered a commercially safer way for them to rest series medal winning engines (so the athletes are effectively stripped of their liberty to travail various other things) – but I recall that this widespread "safe" belief is mostly unjustified.
Sometimes the belief inwards the narrow skills is ludicrous. At the end, almost every sport similar that uses pretty much the same muscles to similar extent – too it uses the neural networks that are of import for similar kinds of movements. So it is totally obvious that at that spot exists a huge positive correlation inwards a person's (or athlete's) potential to locomote goodness at sport A; too her or his mightiness to locomote goodness at sport B, especially if Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 too B are sufficiently closed inwards around relevant respects. Not solely the biological aptitudes are correlated; fifty-fifty what the athletes had to acquire was similar. Ledecká was asked how it was possible that she could practise both too she said: "Both a going downwards a hill, that's the basics." Sounds similar around other joke but again, I recall that her answer conveys a deep truth.
It's obvious inwards sports too I recall that the existent ground for increasing specialization is much weaker inwards sports than it is inwards sciences.
But to a greater extent than importantly, it's also truthful inwards sciences too similar disciplines. The trunk of scientists inwards the globe isn't or shouldn't locomote around random laid of totally isolated overspecialized Fachidiots. In reality, at that spot may locomote "different kinds of IQ" but the number of "kinds of IQ" that may locomote meaningfully considered is vastly smaller than the number of scientific disciplines that withdraw keep been named or that withdraw keep earned a subdivision or a sub-department somewhere. Scientists' areas unavoidably overlap amongst each other too to ane extent or another, every scientist also knows around things exterior his narrowest area.
Lots of theoretical physicists are or could locomote leading mathematicians or they may practise around other things. Those aren't consummate coincidences. It's obvious that one's abilities to practise related things are positively correlated too a someone oftentimes ended upward doing a for sure things that partially depended on random events inwards his or her life. And indeed, lots of us withdraw keep ever been extremely interested inwards related fields too lots of other things. One should know almost everything most his narrow field, a smaller number of things most a broader collection of following fields, too at to the lowest degree something most everything, if yous acquire my point.
I am making this indicate because throughout the years as good as rattling recently, people similar me were defendant of non existence experts specialized inwards around rattling narrow specialization that we're interested inwards – atmospheric physics, instruction of mathematics etc. – which was quoted as the ground why our views on these things should locomote considered equivalent to those of an interested layman.
Well, I beg to differ. This overspecialized agreement of people's skills too competence is clearly excessive. To locomote concrete so that yous may withdraw keep around detail questions inwards mind, but I am non writing it because of myself, I am almost for sure that I am a ameliorate climate scientist than the average someone who is employed as a scientist inwards climate-change-related institutes of the contemporary, somewhat corrupt, globe of climate science. I evidently realize that at that spot are existent climate scientists too I admire around of them – fifty-fifty around of those on the alarmist side – who are existent transcend experts, dissimilar me, but that can't strip me of the mightiness to reckon that a bulk of people acting similar climate scientists are scientifically illiterate charlatans.
Similar comments apply to instruction of mathematics too other things. People who claim to locomote stars because of around alleged skills too noesis that are excessively specialized normally know aught – too their star condition is bogus. These excessively specialized (and oftentimes "interdisciplinary") disciplines are oftentimes fraudulent as wholes (especially when "interdisciplinary" agency that the interdisciplinary "expert" doesn't withdraw keep to know whatever of the nurture disciplines well). Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 really goodness atmospheric physicist only cannot locomote "really bad inwards the residuum of physics". Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 really goodness mathematics instructor cannot locomote "bad at mathematics inwards general", too so on. You can't really compensate for these serious holes past times claims of around super-expertise inwards the overspecialized, narrow field.
To summarize, spell specialization too its inevitability that the progress brings is unreasonably denied past times around people, it is also heavily overrated past times others.
And that's the memo.
Bonus 1, experts found naked:
When the Czech populace TV station aired it, a woman someone "expert" (Ms Lucie Hrstková, a onetime Alpine skier) commented (11:30 or so inwards the video) most on iii "mistakes" past times Ledecká, as if they were almost fatal, too mocked Ledecká past times laughing too proverb that "she's soundless struggling, anyway". Suddenly her fourth dimension showed gilt too the reporters speedily changed their melody too began to express mirth happily too hysterically. You can't really trust experts besides much – most of the proficient comments are just tricks to audio of import that no ane really verifies besides reliably too rigorously.
Incidentally, sometime inwards the past, Ledecká complained that the Czech Public TV by too large doesn't broadcast her races. To spectacularly show the accuracy of her words, the Czech Public TV didn't air her legendary race today live, either! Ledecká has around support, don't worry. Her brother, cartoonist Jonáš Novotný, wrote on social networks: "I would honey to encounter the c*nt that has played the ice-hockey instead of this race. Death to the Czech Television!" ;-)
Bonus 2, musical:
Janek Ledecký (her father) wrote the music for Hamlet, a 2005 musical, too it just happens that this slice has made it to Republic of Korea too was rattling successful there.