Depth vs Breadth

This was a topic of interest I have discussed extensively about (at least I thought it was pretty comprehensive until I had this written out) with some of my friends. 

‘Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.’

It’s a quote by David McCollough. 

To be honest, I have no clue who he is and the part that resonated with me most was the first sentence. I didn’t know know it was a three sentence long quote to begin with, and reading now sounds as if this was an off hand comment he made on writing than an intended quote! However, I am very much convinced with the thinking behind it. 

It is also the main reason why I decided to note this down, to have my flawed arguments dissected, challenged and ripped apart as see fit.

The context in which Depth vs Breadth will be spoken of would be in terms of value added to society, and with that the financial rewards and social status that comes as part of. 

Depth - To specialise intensely in a singular field and be an expert on it. 

Breadth- To be conversant in multiple fields, treading in between novice and expert level. To see potential collaborating opportunities inter field of study.

My stance on this is Depth triumph over Breadth for the very sole reason that knowledge is too easily accessible to everyone today. Without Depth, one takes the risk of being unserviceable to society in the long run, hence no value added and no subsequent rewards too. 

With the internet, human beings today are infinitely more armed with knowledge at our fingertips than of that twenty years ago. The information comes through an unorganised and lightly filtered mesh which is our web browser. Past that, everyone has the ability to search for information that satisfy their curiosity. At the end of that process, one turns from being clueless in a specific matter to more than a novice. 

The assumption here is that Breadth equates to being slightly more proficient than our average Internet user but knowledge depth wise, fairly attainable by one with reasonable amount of effort invested. 

The purpose and value added Breadth brings to society is their ability to see plays between fields. For example, Technology and Law, Finance with Sports, whatever they may be. They specialise in bringing experts together, allowing the cross pollination of ideas, to try to come up with new solutions that fixes problems. Ultimately, value added to society in that manner. 

Having written that out, it dawned upon me that perhaps there is a skillset to be attained in Breadth too - the ability to see things that people do not. And that in itself is too, Depth being manifested in a way. 

‘Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.’

The second part do resonate with me now as I feel the case I made on why Depth should be more treasured than that of Breadth sounds pretty one dimensional. 

I, myself for once is not too convinced that Depth is necessarily superior to that of Breadth.