Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

David Epstein’s Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (2019) is a non-fiction book that argues against widely accepted ideas about paths to success in a variety of fields. Range argues that success can be achieved through exploration, flexibility, a willingness to change, and related ideas instead of highly focused, sustained, and specialized study or training. Epstein draws on his background as a journalist to gather stories about individuals who have gained success through diverse paths, and to marshal research findings from fields like psychology and education. Ultimately, Range encourages readers to appreciate the virtues of generalization, exploration, and diversity. This guide references the 2019 Riverhead Books edition of Range.

Summary

In the “Introduction,” Epstein introduces the contrasting stories of Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. While both men have become some of the most elite athletes in history (in the sports of golf and tennis, respectively), their paths to success look very different. Woods was made to practice golf intensively from a very young age while Federer was given the freedom to explore a number of sports and only settled on tennis in his late teens by his own choice. Epstein draws on these contrasting stories to introduce one of the basic points of Range: while sustained, focused training from an early age can lead to some versions of success, many fields and individuals benefit from the many other paths of development that exist.

Chapter 1 (“The Cult of the Head Start”) expands on the book’s introduction by telling the story of the Polgars, a family that includes several famous chess champions. Laszlo Polgar trained his daughters from an early age to become masters of chess, and they did indeed achieve exceptional success. However, Epstein points out, the version of training they received is only suitable to so-called “kind” environments, in which rules are clear, outcomes are definitive, and feedback is swift. Sports and chess are examples of kind environments. Chapter 2 (“How the Wicked World Was Made”) follows up by explaining the opposing concept of “wicked” environments. These are ones in which rules or guidelines are unclear or unknown, it can be difficult or impossible to assess outcomes (at least in the short term), and feedback is negligible or nonexistent. Such environments demand alternative methods of working.

Chapter 3 (“When Less of the Same is More”) examines music, another field (like chess and sports) in which highly focused and intensive practice from an early age is prized. Epstein tells the story of 18th-century composer Antonio Vivaldi and the figlie del coro, a group of orphans living in a religious institution, who developed into one of the most elite musical groups of the day despite their humble origins, the fact that they had little time to practice, and their custom of switching instruments as needed instead of focusing on the mastery of one. Epstein praises the figlie del coro as a shining example of how flexibility and motivation are key factors in success. Chapter 4 (“Learning, Fast and Slow”) follows up with a study of practices in education, concluding that the best learning situations, in the long term, are those that create “desirable difficulties,” or challenges that prompt students to work hard to succeed. In the long term, the cognitive skills developed in overcoming these difficulties result in lasting learning.

In Chapter 5 (“Thinking Outside Experience”), Epstein tells the story of 17th-century astronomer Johannes Keppler, who made foundational developments in the theory of gravity, despite having little direct evidence, by making analogies that explain how gravity functions. Epstein couples this story with research from psychology that shows the importance of thinking analogically. The ability to think in terms of comparisons and relations requires one to look beyond their immediate context, which illustrates the importance of flexibility.

Chapters 6 (“The Trouble with Too Much Grit”), 7 (“Flirting with Your Possible Selves”), and 8 (“The Outsider Advantage”) present stories of individuals who found success while pursuing nontraditional paths. These include Vincent van Gogh, who became an innovative artist only near the end of his life after many failed starts in other fields. Frances Hesselbein became the head of Girl Scouts USA and attained other leadership success, but only began her career in her 50s. Chemist Alph Bingham found success through the controversial method of asking non-experts to help solve difficult problems. Jill Viles, a woman from Iowa with muscular dystrophy, correctly noted that she and Olympic sprinter Priscilla Lopes-Schliep shared related genetic disorders, something that Lopes-Schliep’s doctors and trainers had completely missed. For Epstein, these stories of late bloomers, outsiders, and amateurs are powerful evidence to debunk the prevailing view that success must come from expertise and early dedication.

Other chapters of Range follow up with additional critiques of the idea of expertise. Chapter 9 (“Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology”) describes Gunpei Yokoi, who led Nintendo to develop massively successful products like the Game Boy by following his method of “lateral thinking with withered technology,” or utilizing well understood technology in creative ways instead of always pursuing the latest technologies. Chapter 10 (“Fooled by Expertise”) looks at the many ways in which expertise can actually lead individuals to make detrimental choices, poor forecasts, and other errors because experts’ points of view become limited and constrained. Chapter 11 (“Learning to Drop Your Familiar Tools”) illustrates this through sometimes tragic stories, such as the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, which is attributed to experts’ refusal to believe in an equipment fault and/or an unwillingness to challenge an organizational culture demanding conformity.

Chapter 12 (“Deliberate Amateurs”) showcases more positive alternatives, such as Nobel-Prize-winning physical biochemist Oliver Smithies, who developed several high-impact innovations as a result of his practice of “Saturday morning experiments,” in which he spent time exploring materials and methods without a pre-set research agenda. In the Conclusion (“Expanding Your Range”), Epstein leaves readers with a summary of the book’s key takeaways: namely, the value of experimentation, diversity, and exploration along with a willingness to embrace change, learn from failure, and look at issues with open eyes.