Undoubtedly, we are living in a world of ever-increasing hyper-specialization. The advantages of being a specialist rather than a generalist have become more than obvious ever since Henry Ford innovated the production line. However, the trend toward specialization is much older.
In the ancient world, most intellectuals (usually philosophers) were polymaths. Yet, as knowledge accumulates and the complexity of each field increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to be up to speed and to understand all knowledge branches deeply enough to be competent and productive.
Consequently, most modern professionals are specialized in very narrow fields of expertise and true generalist are exceedingly rare.
The effects of