

The Heinlein Score - ianna
http://www.iannaccone.org/2012/05/26/easy-weekend-the-heinlein-score
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, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects.
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learc83
The thing about Heinlein is that everyone thinks that Lazarus Long (the
protagonist of the book this is taken from) is just a mouthpiece for Heinlein
himself. However, Heinlein is just really good at writing from a particular
character's viewpoint.

If you notice whenever the pov is centered on Lazarus, he seems to be a
superman who can do nearly anything.

But frequently when the viewpoint shifts to another character, Lazarus' flaws
become much clearer, and he seems much more human.

~~~
saraid216
That doesn't really change the fact that Lazarus Long (and Jubal Harshaw, for
that matter) are basically in-character excuses to espouse Heinlein's views on
life, the universe, and everything. Just because he's aware of his own views'
flaws doesn't make them not his views.

An author surrogate is not necessarily a Mary Sue.

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michaelpinto
Heinlein was a great guy and all, but for all of this rant against
specialization did he ever make a serious attempt to write any other genre
besides science fiction? And not for nothing Isaac Asimov wrote about every
damn topic under the sun with his non-fiction work...

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dmm
I know right! He was totally just a man his whole life too. He should have
spent some time as a woman. That was kinda hypocritical of him.

~~~
lmkg
I don't know if you're making a subtle reference, or happened upon that irony
by accident. But in either case, that is the topic of another of Heinlein's
more famous works.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/—All_You_Zombies—>

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russell
Well I got 16 out of 21. It appears that I am not so good at fighting, killing
or dying.

~~~
mgarfias
Being a farmer helps. 18/21 here.

~~~
Toucan
Being a naval officer also. 18/21.

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riffraff
I wonder, how effectively people can answer such questions.

E.g. you think "yup surely I can build a wall", but concretely you don't even
have a clue on how to make, well, concrete.

I am afraid in many cases we are led to assume that we know how to do X
because we have never tried it and we have no idea of the complexity of it.

~~~
lloeki
You don't need concrete, any kind of mortar will do. You could use clay and
stones to set up a wall effectively protecting you from water and cold.
Nothing even mentions the wall being made in a particular material; it could
just as well be wood. Also I take the goal as encompassing basic techniques
such as using a plummet and various strings to have it lined up correctly.

That said, you're right, various people will think the thing to various
levels, and here we're reaching Dunning-Kruger territory.

~~~
riffraff
yeah I meant to make a more largely encompassing example, but give up because
of:

* I meant to make an example related to "walls built without mortar"

* being italian, I thought of the wall as a "muro a secco" about literally "dry wall"

* I went to check and I found out drywall is a radically different thing

* I gave up :)

~~~
iand
You might be thinking of <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_stone_wall>

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eevilspock
Heinlein and Ayn Rand shoulda got together.

~~~
dublinclontarf
I don't think he would have like her, she was a real bitch, great
writer/philosopher but an absolute bitch.

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ctdonath
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