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	In literature, the '''competent man''' is a ] who can do anything perfectly, or at least exhibits a very wide range of abilities and knowledge, making him a form of ]. While not the first to use such a character type, the heroes and heroines of ]'s fiction are generally competent men/women (with ] being a prime example), and one of Heinlein's characters ] gives a good summary of requirements:

	:''"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."''
	:— Robert Heinlein, '']''<ref>Heinlein, Robert A., '']'', Ace Books (paperback edition, 1988). Page 248. {{ISBN\|978-0-441-81076-5}}</ref><ref>Heinlein, Robert A., '']'', G.P. Putnam's Sons. (paperback edition, 1978). SBN 399-12242-7</ref>

	The competent man, more often than not, is written without explaining how he achieved his wide range of skills and abilities, especially as true expertise typically suggests practical experience instead of learning through books or formalized education alone. While not implausible with older or unusually long-lived characters, when such characters are young it is often not adequately explained as to how they acquired so many skills at an early age. It would be easy for a reader to form the impression that the competent man is just basically a superior sort of human being.

	Many non-superpowered ] characters are written as hyper-competent characters due to the perception that they would simply be considered underpowered otherwise. ], for example, is typically depicted as a member of the ] alongside ], ], and ], all of whom are superpowered while he lacks superhuman powers of any kind. As a result, despite his original depiction as a vigilante, modern depictions of Batman portray him as having achieved the peak-human possibility in all things physical and intellectual. The same treatment has been applied to ], who has always been Superman's archenemy despite the former's total lack of superhuman powers.

	==Competence porn==
	A particular genre of entertainment, competence porn, involves impressive feats of human capability, examples being the strategizing of the characters in '']'', the medical acumen of ], and the deductive brilliance of ].<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/10744879/Are-you-hooked-on-competence-porn.html</ref>

	==See also==
	* ]

	==References==
	{{reflist}}

	{{Stock characters}}

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Latest revision as of 18:26, 1 November 2023

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Robert A. Heinlein#The Competent Man