[iisan7]

I agree that lawyers shouldn't fix coffee machines, their time is certainly more valuable. But they should know how, in a pinch. Flexible, adaptable analog thinking is an important human trait. I'm reminded of a related quote by Heinlein: "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." I don't agree with all of Heinlein's views, but on this point, "lowering oneself" like a lawyer fixing a coffee machine provides a certain humility or awareness of one's shared humanity that is helpful for social cohesion.

[gwern]

No, they shouldn't know how. Most of what there is to know about fixing a coffee machine is useless tedious bullshit. No one's life is enriched by knowing which error messages mean what, and which are misleading, or where the part replacement catalogue is stored.