Why did Archilochus affiliate the hedgehog with just knowing one big thing?

Question

Letters to a Law Student: A Guide to Studying Law at University. (2017 4 ed). p 50.

In an observation that is now so clichéd, you won’t be able to believe how much I hate myself for repeating it, the ancient Greek poet Archilochus distinguished between the fox, who ‘knows many things’, and the hedgehog, who ‘knows one big thing’. (The philosopher Isaiah Berlin borrowed the distinction to distinguish between writers (‘hedgehogs’) who attempt to explain the world in terms of one big idea, and writers (‘foxes’) who refuse to view the world in such simplistic terms.)

I'm benighted about hedgehogs. Do they truly know just one big thing?

Answer 1

I don't think the question is asking about what Isaiah Berlin's essay means. I think he's simply asking what Archilochus meant. The fox is commonly regarded as a cunning figure in literature. He is the trickster in many fables (Aesop, Uncle Remus, Pinocchio etc). He is clever and knows many things. The hedgehog doesn't have any such reputation. He has one trick only, namely to roll up into a spiky ball. That's his one big thing. The comparison between the different styles is often used as a metaphor to describe different human personalities and behaviours. It's not necessarily a judgement (expert/amateur or smart/dumb) the one big trick can sometimes defeat all the smart moves.

Answer 2

The difference divides writers and the thinkers. On one side is a balanced central vision; on the other, the pursuit of contradictory ends. Listen for the distortion of strategy.

[...]

The title of Berlin's essay is a reference to a proverb attributed to Greek poet Archilochus (c. 680 – c. 645 BC): “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” The metaphor of the hedgehog is lost on many non-European readers. Hedgehogs are simple small mammals that are native to Australia and are found in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Hedgehogs are vocal and communicate through grunts, snuffles and squeals. Also, the hedgehog looks for beetles, worms and the like using a very straightforward hunting method: 1) waddle forward and 2) if you approach anything alive, eat it. The hedgehog is an exposed thinker, with a simple idea and a simple plan.

Foxes are small-to-medium-size mammals found across the entire Northern Hemisphere. From the Arctic Circle to North Africa, the red fox is known for its ability to adapt quickly to new environments. Foxes are largely silent animals that on rare occasions use contact calls (similar to a bark) and interaction calls (a high pitched whine). The fox is wise to many little things, with lots of ideas and no big plans.

Hedgehogs are the experts. Foxes are the amateurs.
_{Source: https://www.cio.com/article/3151060/decide-if-youre-a-hedgehog-or-a-fox.html}

Answer 3

In the longer version of the story, the fox is trying to eat the hedgehog. Every day, the fox comes up with a different strategy to try to eat the hedgehog. He tries to ambush him, chase him, lure him into a trap, etc. But no matter what the fox does, the hedgehog just rolls into a ball to defeat the fox. The moral of the fable is that it's better to know one really good strategy that always works vs. flailing around and constantly changing strategies like the fox does.

If you ever saw the old road runner cartoons, the coyote and the road runner is the same analogy. The coyote thinks he is a genius and is always trying different ways to catch the road runner, but the road runner always wins by just running away.