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     %INTEGRATIVE SPECIALIST GENERALIST LIMITS KNOW 911109

     As  human knowledge  expands exponentially it becomes
less  and   less  possible  for   individual   humans   to
have   an overview  of  the  scope  of human knowledge  in
all  its details.    Each generation of Ph.D.   candidates
finds  it harder  and  harder  to  get  to  the   frontier
of  human knowledge  to make contribution to the expansion
of   human knowledge.    Each  candidate becomes  familiar
with  a  more narrow  path  to the frontier of  knowledge,
than did  the candidates of the previous generation.

     As  human  knowledge expands  exponentially,   due to
human  limitations  each  generation become less  able  to
integrate the  variety  of specialized disciplines to  see
how   human knowledge  may be helpfully used to deal  with
real  human situations.   The  more time that each  person
puts  into becoming  an expert in some narrow path to  the
frontier  of human knowledge,   the less time each  person
has  to see how the  knowledge which they acquire  may  be
relevant to  real human  needs.  Thus specialization leads
us ultimately  to the  need for specialists in integrating
specialists;    in promoting  dialogue  among  specialists
and   in   integrating  the  knowledge  which  specialists
create.

     The process of integration is difficult because there
is so much  knowledge  to deal with.    It is additionally
difficult  because   the   specialists   whose   knowledge
needs   to  be integrated   are  not  likely  to   respect
the    need   for  integration.     Neither   are   highly
competent  specialists likely  to  respect the efforts  of
integrative  people   who have  failed to demonstrate  any
grounds  for  specialist's respect;    because  they  have
failed     to     demonstrate  competence  as   a   narrow
specialist.    Any  person  who  spends  enough   time  to
develop   the   breadth  of  knowledge  needed  to   serve
helpfully  as a specialist in  integrative  studies,  will
not  have  enough  time to demonstrate  competence  as   a
narrow  specialist  in the manner of a  traditional  Ph.D.
degree.

     Thus  it is essential to develop a recognition of the
need  for  specialists  in  integrative  studies.     Each
community  of  specialists   needs  to   have   associated
with   it   a   few specialists    who    are   especially
familiar    with    the specialty,    but  who  are   also
experts   in  integrative studies.    Each specialty which
fails  to   have   associated  with   it   specialists  in
integrative  studies  is likely  to become alienated  from
the  totality of human knowledge,  and alienated  from the
human  community  as  a  whole.    The   more   successful
specialists  are  in creating new  knowledge,    the  more
essential   it   will  become to   have   specialists   in
integrative  studies  associated  with  each  professional
specialty and sub-specialty.

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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