The Liminist

The opposite of the specialist is not the generalist, but the Liminist. Where the generalist picks the low hanging fruit of knowledge, the Liminist operates in the liminal interzones between them.

In a world of disconnected silos stretching vertically into the sky, the Liminist stretches horizontally across them. They function as guides, navigating people across these intersecting planes to comprehend the work and ideas of their unrelated peers.

It is very much its own specialization, but where all other domains specialize in Form, the Liminist specializes in Non-Form. The evidence of their work exists at the intersections between objects.

These intersections have their own space, presence, and tangibility. They are just as “original” and “unique” as the objects that the intersection weaves together.

A talented Liminist must be a master translator, able to communicate and comprehend across domains. They must be a master weaver, able to take individual strands across many domains and pattern them together. A master diplomat that can manage the egos of others. They must be comfortable operating in ambiguity, which is their playground.

h/t to Carsten & Georgia for the conversation that gave rise to this concept

“[When Vonnegut tells his wife he’s going out to buy an envelope] Oh, she says, well, you’re not a poor man. You know, why don’t you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I’m going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babes. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don’t know. The moral of the story is, is we’re here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don’t realize, or they don’t care, is we’re dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we’re not supposed to dance at all anymore.”