Port = civilization = overspecialization?
While reading an in-depth FAQ about Port (the alcoholic beverage), it
occurs to me that one hallmark -- perhaps even the definition-- of
(American or in some cases European) "civilization" is having lots of
people who care a lot about things that don't really matter. (Things that
don't substantially affect the survival of members of the society.) In
otherwords, when people can devote their entire lives to the arcane
knowledge required to producing vintage Port, or run Unix machines, then
you have "civilization."