I think everyone in the comments, and you yourself, are making this distinction seem sharper and more important than it is. I’d prefer to think about it this way:
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert Heinlein, emphasis my own.
The way I see it, specialization into different roles and areas of expertise is good and proper, but ultimately we all retain (and should cultivate) a basic level of generality, and that’s what makes us human.
For my part I’ve found great pleasure in taking orders. I’m used to doing my own thing as a grad student, so it’s really nice to feel like a part of a well-functioning team. But this doesn’t make me feel like an NPC or a ‘follower’ or anything negative like that. I like the “Samurai/Daimyo” framing best.
I believe the military has a similar ethos: Everyone has special roles, but everyone has to do basic training, wear the same uniform, and be ready to grab a rifle if the situation gets desperate.
I think everyone in the comments, and you yourself, are making this distinction seem sharper and more important than it is. I’d prefer to think about it this way:
-Robert Heinlein, emphasis my own.
The way I see it, specialization into different roles and areas of expertise is good and proper, but ultimately we all retain (and should cultivate) a basic level of generality, and that’s what makes us human.
For my part I’ve found great pleasure in taking orders. I’m used to doing my own thing as a grad student, so it’s really nice to feel like a part of a well-functioning team. But this doesn’t make me feel like an NPC or a ‘follower’ or anything negative like that. I like the “Samurai/Daimyo” framing best.
I believe the military has a similar ethos: Everyone has special roles, but everyone has to do basic training, wear the same uniform, and be ready to grab a rifle if the situation gets desperate.