Nautilus

Have Money, Won’t Travel

The category of “specialist” seems to be ingrained deeply both in the history of evolution, and the development of modern society. Homo sapiens is, in its own ways, a specialist: We are most remarkable for our large brains and the application of our intelligence to achieve a remarkable adaptability. And the modern economy is unimaginable without the participation of a dizzyingly long list of experts, each managing a small but essential part of the complex machine that is the modern global economy.

But is specialization an innate behavior, or learned? Don’t we describe specialization negatively, with terms like “pigeon-holing?” Aren’t we in awe of the true jack-of-all-trades? To answer this question, there is perhaps no tool quite

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Nautilus

Nautilus13 min read
The Shark Whisperer
In the 1970s, when a young filmmaker named Steven Spielberg was researching a new movie based on a novel about sharks, he returned to his alma mater, California State University Long Beach. The lab at Cal State Long Beach was one of the first places
Nautilus2 min read
The Rebel Issue
Greetings, Nautilus readers, and welcome to The Rebel Issue. Starting today through the end of April we’re going to bring you stories that revolve around the meaning of rebel. In our own happy rebellion against the conventions of science writing, we’
Nautilus4 min readMotivational
The Psychology of Getting High—a Lot
Famous rapper Snoop Dogg is well known for his love of the herb: He once indicated that he inhales around five to 10 blunts per day—extreme even among chronic cannabis users. But the habit doesn’t seem to interfere with his business acumen: Snoop has

Related Books & Audiobooks