Range Book Summary

Book Summary

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Brief Summary

"Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" by David Epstein explores how having a broad range of experiences and skills can be more beneficial than deep specialization. Epstein argues that generalists—people who explore diverse fields and develop a variety of skills—are often more innovative and successful in solving complex problems compared to specialists who focus narrowly. Through a mix of research, case studies, and examples, the book illustrates how adaptability and a broad knowledge base can lead to greater achievement in various areas of life and work.

About the Author

David Epstein is an investigative reporter at ProPublica. He is the author of two books: Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (2019) and the Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance (2013). He previously worked as a senior writer at Sports Illustrated. He and Selena Roberts broke the story that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003. He graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor’s degree in environmental science and astronomy in 2002 and master’s degrees in environmental science and journalism.

Topics

Self Development Psychology

Range Book Summary Preview

There is no single key that will unlock every kind of door. That is due to a basic principle: when something is specialized, it's not universally useful. This is great when we’re talking about the key leading to your front door. Not so great if it's your skillset. The book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World discusses the value of having a range of skills versus a single specialization. This can be crucial, especially since:

Specialization is not the only way to excellence

Take for instance: Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. They have one big thing in common: they’re both star athletes. Tiger Woods showed signs of skill with golf from the time he was a child, practiced golf exclusively, and went on to become legendary. Roger Federer had a significantly different experience. As a kid growing up, he just loved any sport with a ball. It was a while before he was introduced to tennis. Instead, he played many different sports, even refusing to move into a more advanced tennis league because he wanted to hang out with his friends. This is called sampling, and we will say more about that later. He was a “late specializer”. Meaning that he chose tennis after trying out many different sports. After his success, studies began to crop up indicating this was the pathway of many experts in different sports. They tried out a bunch of different sports, then settled on a sport to specialize in later on.

Though some areas certainly do require Tiger Wood’s level of specialization, many others benefit from people with range. Range is the ability to perform many different tasks well. Roger Federer developed this by trying out many different sports in his youth before he chose one to specialize in. Often, people feel specialization is the only way to achieve or enjoyment. If you operate on this line of thinking, you need to ask yourself:

Are chess and golf representative of all activities that matter to you?

If so, then yes, specialization is important. In chess, this is essential. Kids have to be younger than 12 when they learn to play chess or they will never be grandmasters. Talk about pressure and specialization. However, even amongst these super talented kids, specialization often creates a reliance on pattern-finding. People who specialize can get so familiar with certain patterns and problems that solving novel tasks become nearly impossible for them. People who are highly specialized can appear to be superhuman: especially chess players and golfers, but they’ve just developed the skill of recognizing patterns. This can be helpful… but not always. This is because:

Unfortunately, the world is not golf or tennis, it's Martian tennis.

Meaning the rules are constantly changing, and it's up to you to figure them out. In a game of bridge, when the rules were slightly altered, experts had a harder time playing. Scientists inducted into the highest-ranked national academies tend to have hobbies outside of their domain. People who could move from career to career, like from playing...