Greetings from the University of New Hampshire! The first day of fall is this Wednesday, but we have been seeing the first signs of its arrival for a few weeks. The leaves are beginning to change and the nights are getting cooler. I took the air conditioner out of my wife’s office (we don’t have central air) this morning so she could shut the window against the cold. Fall in New Hampshire is fun because you get to pull out the sweaters you’ve had in storage all summer, also the puffy vests and beanies, and of course your fuzzy slippers. You realize after months that you’ve kind of missed them. There’s nothing quite like that first cold night when you can light a fire in the stove and pull a blanket over your lap while you read a book or watch TV.
This week’s theme is interdisciplinarity. The article and the podcast specifically celebrate it through example; the video tells you not to have excuses.
I remember learning about the Renaissance in junior high, and specifically the value of liberal education that characterized the Renaissance Man. The Renaissance was the rediscovery of Classical learning, and the Renaissance Man was a person who was interested in learning across all of the disciplines. He was literate, he could appreciate beauty in poetry and drama; he mastered instruments and music. But he was also a student of science and business. He was a man of the world, and the world was fascinating to him, and through his learning, the world opened up to him and revealed its treasurers. What the Renaissance Man knew was that all learning was interconnected, and that the study of one field strengthened his understanding of others (see van Zandt’s quote below).
Of course Renaissance Man were mostly men, though some women were able to be educated in a similar manner, and of course they were almost all wealthy because the cost of such an education was high. People who achieved such levels of learning were a tiny elite. There were no public libraries where you could get free access to books, let alone YouTube where you can get access to lectures on virtually any subject, also for free. The average person was dirt poor, had maybe one shirt and one pair of pants or dress. Even if these things had been free, the time cost would have been high.
Today the average person walks around with a computer in their pocket that is connected to limitless learning opportunities - more knowledge and instruction is available for free than any Renaissance Man ever had access to. The average person also has far more time for leisure, and more than one shirt (thank God).
Unfortunately, despite our ready access to limitless knowledge, few people embrace the value of interdisciplinarity that was at the heart of the Renaissance Man’s pursuit of knowledge. We are more siloed in our learning than ever, and we waste time on meaningless pursuits on the computer in our pocket, instead of using it to make ourselves better, and to open up the secrets of the universe. We claim we don’t have time - but of course we do. We just don’t prioritize or value self-improvement (see How to gain control of your free time below).
I have tried to hold on to the value of interdisciplinary learning of the Renaissance Man. It is part of what drew me into the academic study of business. The study of business as a discipline is by its nature interdisciplinary - it has no true core - instead it appropriates ideas constantly and relentlessly from other fields, assembling and reassembling in pursuit of understanding and engaging with the world. I would argue that the study of business is far more holistic than what the classical liberal arts fields have evolved into - it is truer to the educational values of the Renaissance Man. Great innovations are usually the result of interdisciplinary appropriation (Apple is perhaps the most iconic proof of that, but so many discoveries have been the result of interdisciplinary appropriation). Great ideas come from looking at things afresh. As leaders, and as educators, we need to do better.
One way to do better is to set an example. We can do that by setting personal goals to engage with disciplines we don’t normally interact with. One way I have done this has been my daily art project. I make time for it every day. Some days I only make 10 minutes for it, but I make the time. People say they don’t have time, but you have to make time. Because saying you are too busy is really another way of saying it isn’t a priority.
Enjoy the links and I’ll see you next week!
(Pic is one of my daily art exercises.)
Read
What:
WSJ, Steven Van Zandt Was an Actor Without Knowing It
Why:
This is a fun biographical essay about Van Zandt’s career. I saw him play with Springsteen a few years ago and of course I enjoyed seeing him in the Sopranos. It was running across the below passage that made me decide to write on the theme of interdisciplinarity today:
Since then, Mr. Van Zandt has continued his multidimensional career. The businesses he runs through his umbrella company, Renegade Nation, include a record label; artist management; movie, TV and theater production; two SiriusXM stations; the syndicated Underground Garage radio show; and an annual Outlaw Country music cruise.
Then there is his health and wellness company and his foundations supporting music education and children with special needs. “The effect of wearing all these hats is they strengthen each other,” he says. “I’m constantly moving from thing to thing, and I come back fresh.”
Van Zandt’s career is a great example of the Renaissance Man. Interdisciplinarity in action.
**
Watch
What:
TED, Laura Vanderkam, How to gain control of your free time (12 min)
Why:
I’ve watched this video at least three times and I am thinking I ought to make it a weekly thing until I can master some of her guidance. The general point of her talk is not interdisciplinary learning, but making time for priorities. I include this video for this theme because most people will argue that they don’t have time to pursue learning outside of their day-to-day job. My argument is based on a quote from this video:
I don’t have time = It’s not a priority
She tells a great story about a busy executive who had her water heater break. She was able to find 7 hours of time in her otherwise busy life to oversee repair of the water heater. Vanderkam’s point is that if something is really a priority, you will find the time.
Check out the video - there is a lot there worth reflecting on if you find yourself saying, “I’m too busy” when it comes to self-improvement.
**
Listen
What:
People I (mostly) Admire, Edward Glaeser Explains Why Some Cities Thrive While Others Fade Away
https://omny.fm/shows/people-i-mostly-admire/edward-glaeser-explains-why-some-cities-thrive-whi
Why:
Ed Glaeser is an economist who studies cities. In a time of pandemic, he makes a case for why cities are still relevant, and why they are likely to rebound. The basic argument for cities is they are efficient. In this paper Glaeser argues cities are learning laboratories, for example. By bringing many people together in close proximity, people can learn from each other by imitation.
The host (Steve Levitt) admires Glaeser for his ability to draw on not just the field of economics, but multiple fields, such as history and sociology, to develop his theories and to write his papers. Glaeser’s work demonstrates the advantage of not being singularly focused, but instead allowing your curiosity to cross boundaries so that you can integrate it in your primary pursuit.
Thanks for reading and see you next week! If you come across any interesting stories, won't you send them my way? I'd love to hear what you think of these suggestions, and I'd love to get suggestions from you. Feel free to drop me a line at mark.bonica@unh.edu , or you can tweet to me at @mbonica .
If you’re looking for a searchable archive, you can see my draft folder here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jwGLdjsb1WKtgH_2C-_3VvrYCtqLplFO?usp=sharing
Finally, if you find these links interesting, won’t you tell a friend? They can subscribe here: https://markbonica.substack.com/welcome
See you next week!
Mark
Mark J. Bonica, Ph.D., MBA, MS
Associate Professor
Department of Health Management and Policy
University of New Hampshire
(603) 862-0598
mark.bonica@unh.edu
Health Leader Forge Podcast:
http://healthleaderforge.org
"Were there none discontented with what they have, the World would never reach anything better." - Florence Nightingale