Sorry, but MacGyver happens to be on right now.

I'd say a human being should be able to do at least 15 of the 21 tasks (a far cry from "specialization", or "insects"), but still a very effective example of the species. And I'm a pretty fair rail-splitter and can set a nice 5-rail fence -- among other things.

A human being should be able to:
* change a diaper

Hell, yes!

* plan an invasion

Can do.

* butcher a hog

Never tried -- or been that hungry.

* conn a ship

Cannot do (AKA untrained).

* design a building

Can do -- well, it was a two-car garage.

* write a sonnet

Can do.

* balance accounts

Can do.

* build a wall

Can do.

* set a bone

Can do.

* comfort the dying

Can do.

* take orders

Can do.

* give orders

Can do.

* cooperate

Can do.

* act alone

Can do.

* solve equations

Can do -- but limited.

* analyze a new problem

Can do.

* pitch manure

Can do.

* program a computer

Can do.

* cook a tasty meal

Can do.

* fight efficiently

Can do.

So, I guess 18 out of the 21 ain’t all that bad.

The 22nd, though -- die gallantly -- I think needs a lot of work. Dying is the most personal thing a person will ever go through. It preys in the human subconscious, with roots buried deep in family/tribal beliefs, dreams, hopes, and fears. And many don't have the opportunity to consider how they handle it. I don’t see dying nearly as important as living. It’s what’s left behind that matters to the world, whereas a person‘s death is entirely his or her own.

Then again, Heinlein did get a bit -- strange -- toward the end, with a definite passion for that evolutionary quirk called Renaissance Man... An enjoyable, or at least interesting, storyteller nonetheless.

Which book was the list derived from?

Dan