Range
What's the most effective path to success in any domain? It's not what you think. Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you'll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world's top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule. David Epstein examined the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields--especially those that are complex and unpredictable--generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They're also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can't see. Provocative, rigorous, and engrossing, Range makes a compelling case for actively cultivating inefficiency. Failing a test is the best way to learn. Frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers. The most impactful inventors cross domains rather than deepening their knowledge in a single area.
Stats for nerds
46recommend
84mentions
72people
2019–2026years
65% recommend35% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Range goes into this. Epstein talks about Kind and Unkind learning environments.
In Kind environments, the feedback is quick and ranking is easy to know. So the evidence says that the optimal strategy is drill ans kill.
In Unkind learning environments, the feedback is slow and ranking is difficult and untimely. So the optimal strategy is to learn as much as you can in as many very different disciplines as possible.
The paper that the Economist talks about extends this and (paraphrasing) says that the very top elite level, even Kind learning environments turn back into Unkind ones again as you try to push the field more.
- Range by David Epstein makes this argument well, and even argues that you don't have to give up being great, but rather the breadth of experience can make you great once you find the right opportunity.
- “The Nature & Art of Workmanship” by David Pye.
I picked it up related to my woodworking hobby, but also thought it was an interesting way to think about Risk in a tech company, and how (for example) more and more structure is built around releasing software to minimize risk and increase certainty of success.
I also really enjoyed:
“Joinery, Joists and Gender: A History of Woodworking for the 21st Century” by Deirdre Visser
“Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back” by Cory Doctorow, Rebecca Giblin
“Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World” by David Epstein
“How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States” by Daniel Immerwahr (this one prompted by honeymooning in Panama and learning the US used to control the canal)
- There are a couple of books I would add, but here's one: "Range - Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" by David Epstein.
- For those interested in an alternative view, check out Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
> Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you’ll never catch up to the people who got a head start. But a closer look at research on the world’s top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule.
- Also multi modal / multi topic learning benefits the brain too. Range by David Epstein is an interesting read
