I just heard Mayor Annise Parker speak in Chapel, and of the many interesting things she said, the one that’s most relevant to this thread is the following comment. “Every day, I face problems I’ve never seen before, and I have to approach them in ways I’ve never thought of.” (Or words to that effect….) That seems to me to be an extremely powerful argument for some preparation in those two fields: seeing problems you’ve never seen before and being expected to deal with things in ways you’ve never done.
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Almost anybody can learn an algorithm and repeat it with consistency. That’s OK for solving problems that don’t change drastically, but is unhelpful in solving types problems never seen before. It’s important to learn how to approach problems in different ways because without that ability, we will fail when faced with a new challenge.
I agree that this statement is extremely powerful. In politics, new problems arise everyday, and the best politicinas are the ones who are most suited to find new way to solve these problems. Problems and solutions are what define and separate bad politicians from good ones.
I don’t see how you can prepare to handle problems that you’ve never seen before just by seeing a variety of new problems. Wouldn’t you need a broad understanding that gives you a basis of knowledge that can handle any problem?
I agree, and I think this statement probably applies to more fields than the ones mentioned above. It’s definitely very applicable to politics, and I think for most fields requiring a higher level of intellectuality, the ability to innovate new ways to solve new problems is not only desired but essential.