# Range by David J. Epstein
Author:: Shortform
## Highlights
> In Range, Epstein argues that in today’s modern world, generalism—a broad competence in many professional fields—is the key to living a fulfilling and productive life. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/67b8f724-3818-4707-b731-8a8224d616d6))
> David Epstein argues that this narrow, highly specialized path is not as reliable as it’s been made out to be. Instead, broad competence in a wide range of skills is the best way to get ahead of the competition. Counter to what you’d expect, learning to do several things well makes you better at each one. Being a jack of all trades is often the way to become master of all. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/1a6d512d-835b-4a23-a1c1-bc989238908a))
> Range’s thesis directly challenges many popular books on the subject of learning and human performance, especially those that emphasize “deliberate practice” such as Peak by Anders Ericsson and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. One chapter, “The Trouble with Too Much Grit,” is a direct critique of Grit by Angela Duckworth, which Epstein argues underestimates the value of quitting in some situations. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/ddcba0ce-ddde-4f31-9a4f-a32c9b155755))
> Additionally, Range is significantly influenced by previous books that have challenged the role that pure quantity of experience plays in human success, directly utilizing ideas from Make It Stick by Peter Brown, The Dip by Seth Godin, and Superforecasting by Philip Tetlock. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/abcab6c3-3e7a-4d29-8bc4-980fb8d3a262))
> some readers find Range’s one-note argument to become tedious when stretched across several chapters. They also criticize Epstein for lacking the evidence necessary to support his argument, saying he relies too heavily on anecdotes. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/6d222646-3019-4e6b-b6e3-087a24521f60))
> Recently, this traditional path to excellence was formalized and popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his 2008 book Outliers. His famed “10,000-hour rule” states that the way to become a master in any field is to spend 10,000 hours practicing. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/4f3e40d7-7afe-4639-9654-3544e233127f))
> The term “deliberate practice” was first defined by Anders Ericsson, a Swedish psychologist and expert on human expertise, whom Gladwell cites extensively in Outliers. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/bd39d895-f8c4-435a-97a0-c4b56daef782))
> Specialists Struggle in the Modern World ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/7f207853-23c1-4120-ae36-11072ce3f115))
> Reason #1: The World Is Unpredictable ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/1f48a3bf-f040-4765-a636-57b83e4e4109))
> Epstein distinguishes between “kind” and “wicked domains”—what we’ll call Stable and Unstable Environments. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/d9b24bee-8f96-4d55-a757-e5442b9accd6))
> Stable Environments are settings in which the ways to achieve success are easily understood and unchanging. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/95a8255e-aeb3-4dbb-8d7d-79cb1f53448e))
> Epstein warns that experience in Unstable Environments, on the other hand, may be worthless—or worse, it may harm your future performance. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/9a5b340e-49b4-4733-aac1-dbd00d931b0d))
> #2: Strategy Matters More Than Tactics ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/ad720ff5-5f5f-4112-bed6-d37b5cceeeaa))
> Strategy, on the other hand, is all about broad, abstract understanding. By combining past experience with higher-level reasoning, humans can make effective decisions in situations they’ve never experienced before ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/ce04dd1f-05bf-477a-a64b-f909edee7c3b))
> , Netflix employed the unorthodox strategy of operating at a loss for about a decade, borrowing over sixteen billion dollars since 2011 to keep the lights on ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/f883bd20-283f-42df-b775-3364b3a80f07))
> teaches tactics while generalism teaches strategy. And in the modern world, strategy (abstract decision-making) is what matters. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/8900dde4-aa71-4a17-8fdc-cd4b724ab06d))
> Reason #3: Modern Technology Replaces Specialization ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/757052df-2cf4-4e3a-97ad-078f2d7c21a5))
> the qualities of tasks that make them suitable for specialization—repeated recognizable patterns, unchanging rules—also make them suitable for automation. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/dd248051-162d-4901-914f-a80f35863161))
> But what would an education that emphasizes critical thinking look like? For a start, Epstein endorses Casadevall’s call for fewer required classes and greater opportunities for students to learn outside of their field. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/660a4579-7a2c-4403-adec-9f72b66b8ce2))
> Epstein cites a computer science professor who argues that the “computational thinking” required to code should be a part of the gen ed curriculum, as it’s a problem-solving framework that involves breaking down complex problems into solvable components. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/52ed2846-dffb-49cf-988d-3b170fa6565d))
> Instead of picking one skill and trying to stick with it for your whole life, Epstein suggests that you:
> Explore and Experiment
> Specialize Inefficiently
> Be Prepared to Pivot ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/d36bf6de-f0b0-4732-a33f-b9464ff3ead7))
> if you learned your second language later in life, you gain the additional advantage of discovering which language-learning strategies best work for you ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/c17ae4a6-30d6-4286-942e-6055413c9c46))
> On average, generalists have slow “inefficient” starts, but end up outpacing specialists in the long run. This comes down to the way they learn, which is more complex than the typical idea of deliberate practice. Epstein argues that we shouldn’t optimize learning for efficiency—the most effective learning is slow and difficult ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/b7d6c1ab-2d61-4e2a-9c5b-b2ac6af2b325))
> Shortform note: This part of Epstein’s argument overlaps with general consensus. Several of the most popular books on learning, including Anders Ericsson’s Peak, Ultralearning by Scott Young, and Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown, emphasize the fact that how you learn matters far more than how much time you spend learning.) ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/cafa388f-5b8f-4b0c-98c3-3873323d777c))
> because they’re slow and difficult, Why Questions are drastically underrepresented in most schools, leaving students unable to use what they’re learning in real life. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/4099c5b8-4a85-40d7-9e8a-76e2a24f4183))
> The “spacing effect” is a similar phenomenon—people retain more knowledge if there are lengthy gaps between study sessions on the same information. In the long run, someone who studies the facts about a historical battle will retain more information if they’re tested in a month than if they have to take the test on the same day. The more time that’s passed since you reviewed the information, the harder it is to recall—which is exactly the point. It’s the struggle of a difficult test that makes the information easier to remember for years to come.
> (Shortform note: Because of the spacing effect, the best way to learn anything is to create a long-term review schedule. The review sessions don’t have to be long—30 minutes is plenty—but they should be spaced out over a long period of time. Use longer intervals as you get better at retaining the information in order to keep recall difficult, and eventually you’ll remember it indefinitely.) ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/7122f24f-e28c-4aa6-b370-6fac7012efe2))
> Interleaving is when multiple kinds of problems are mixed together in review—for example, a cumulative math test in which consecutive problems are drawn from different chapters of the book. Interleaving works because it requires learners to analyze each problem before determining how to solve it, which engages their abstract strategic mindset. This is more difficult than if all the problems of one type are “blocked” together, but it vastly improves retention. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/41045ddc-8d9e-45a9-9cba-af75153f9466))
> When it comes to skill acquisition, Epstein makes the case that slow, directionless exploration provides more robust skill than the specialist’s style of learning through intense, efficient drills. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/dda54eef-40fc-436f-9461-b6fb0440118d))
> The researchers concluded that the overlearners’ weakened performance was a side effect of their “resilient” experience with the first task. They had learned the first skill so well that they found it difficult to stray from the procedure. In other words, overlearning narrow skills hinders the application of those skills in new contexts. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/86bbb2ff-9d9c-4b1b-a892-629783a32ff0))
> The Generalist Is Prepared to Pivot ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/767d8677-4a0d-4473-9f07-f32f9f1000ab))
> The Dip: How to Know When to Quit
> Epstein directly cites Seth Godin’s The Dip in this section—a book all about how grit is overrated. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/4ec39090-d400-4616-af79-0862c710385c))
> Reason #1: You Will Change ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/5be664b1-efc3-4d47-96f5-d8eadd2616de))
> Reason #2: You Can’t Predict Future Opportunities ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/db1ba563-fa5d-4141-84a4-71c11adc7e59))
> Reason #3: You Can’t Predict How Well a Job Will Fit ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/0490eb90-e239-4b3c-b6bf-2352a99b999a))
> In So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Cal Newport warns against taking Epstein’s argument too far—you shouldn’t be afraid to pivot if you’re stuck in a job you hate, but you shouldn’t expect your job to be thrilling and life-affirming every second of the day, either.
> In Newport’s eyes, it’s alright to start a career in something you’re not passionate about. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/a706d342-95ad-4f20-a98c-71c8eaf9fadd))
> generalists are more likely to come up with successful creative ideas than specialists. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/9193260d-3bde-4025-a910-135e0771cf6a))
> Generalists Consider a Range of Perspectives ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/37fb4c13-c44e-46e7-8aa1-038425663e82))
> what set “superforecasters” apart was their ability to integrate a broad range of information and contradictory perspectives instead of being bogged down by a single point of view—which Epstein argues is a generalist’s specialty. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/b8983ae9-4ade-483b-92d8-7b3eec554564))
> While specialists succeed by being one of a rare few who understand something, generalists are uniquely good at using less knowledge in more effective ways. Generalists try to limit themselves to only the information relevant to the problem at hand, and they draw that relevant information from a bevy of unlikely sources. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/720ddb52-11df-4dfb-a45f-afdd67f7566d))
> Generalists are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this kind of imbalance. If 80% of results come from 20% of ideas, deep, specialized knowledge isn’t always required. Generalists prioritize the quality of ideas over quantity of ideas, and as a result, often find more success than specialists despite knowing far less. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/cdfd6078-9c03-4861-947f-01f9793ebbd3))
> Generalists’ Pareto Principle ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/b16c481b-42e6-4fc4-825e-4453e3e19ae0))
---
Title: Range by David J. Epstein
Author: Shortform
Tags: readwise, books
date: 2024-01-30
---
# Range by David J. Epstein
Author:: Shortform
## AI-Generated Summary
None
## Highlights
> In Range, Epstein argues that in today’s modern world, generalism—a broad competence in many professional fields—is the key to living a fulfilling and productive life. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/67b8f724-3818-4707-b731-8a8224d616d6))
> David Epstein argues that this narrow, highly specialized path is not as reliable as it’s been made out to be. Instead, broad competence in a wide range of skills is the best way to get ahead of the competition. Counter to what you’d expect, learning to do several things well makes you better at each one. Being a jack of all trades is often the way to become master of all. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/1a6d512d-835b-4a23-a1c1-bc989238908a))
> Range’s thesis directly challenges many popular books on the subject of learning and human performance, especially those that emphasize “deliberate practice” such as Peak by Anders Ericsson and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. One chapter, “The Trouble with Too Much Grit,” is a direct critique of Grit by Angela Duckworth, which Epstein argues underestimates the value of quitting in some situations. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/ddcba0ce-ddde-4f31-9a4f-a32c9b155755))
> Additionally, Range is significantly influenced by previous books that have challenged the role that pure quantity of experience plays in human success, directly utilizing ideas from Make It Stick by Peter Brown, The Dip by Seth Godin, and Superforecasting by Philip Tetlock. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/abcab6c3-3e7a-4d29-8bc4-980fb8d3a262))
> some readers find Range’s one-note argument to become tedious when stretched across several chapters. They also criticize Epstein for lacking the evidence necessary to support his argument, saying he relies too heavily on anecdotes. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/6d222646-3019-4e6b-b6e3-087a24521f60))
> Recently, this traditional path to excellence was formalized and popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his 2008 book Outliers. His famed “10,000-hour rule” states that the way to become a master in any field is to spend 10,000 hours practicing. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/4f3e40d7-7afe-4639-9654-3544e233127f))
> The term “deliberate practice” was first defined by Anders Ericsson, a Swedish psychologist and expert on human expertise, whom Gladwell cites extensively in Outliers. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/bd39d895-f8c4-435a-97a0-c4b56daef782))
> Specialists Struggle in the Modern World ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/7f207853-23c1-4120-ae36-11072ce3f115))
> Reason #1: The World Is Unpredictable ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/1f48a3bf-f040-4765-a636-57b83e4e4109))
> Epstein distinguishes between “kind” and “wicked domains”—what we’ll call Stable and Unstable Environments. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/d9b24bee-8f96-4d55-a757-e5442b9accd6))
> Stable Environments are settings in which the ways to achieve success are easily understood and unchanging. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/95a8255e-aeb3-4dbb-8d7d-79cb1f53448e))
> Epstein warns that experience in Unstable Environments, on the other hand, may be worthless—or worse, it may harm your future performance. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/9a5b340e-49b4-4733-aac1-dbd00d931b0d))
> #2: Strategy Matters More Than Tactics ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/ad720ff5-5f5f-4112-bed6-d37b5cceeeaa))
> Strategy, on the other hand, is all about broad, abstract understanding. By combining past experience with higher-level reasoning, humans can make effective decisions in situations they’ve never experienced before ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/ce04dd1f-05bf-477a-a64b-f909edee7c3b))
> , Netflix employed the unorthodox strategy of operating at a loss for about a decade, borrowing over sixteen billion dollars since 2011 to keep the lights on ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/f883bd20-283f-42df-b775-3364b3a80f07))
> teaches tactics while generalism teaches strategy. And in the modern world, strategy (abstract decision-making) is what matters. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/8900dde4-aa71-4a17-8fdc-cd4b724ab06d))
> Reason #3: Modern Technology Replaces Specialization ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/757052df-2cf4-4e3a-97ad-078f2d7c21a5))
> the qualities of tasks that make them suitable for specialization—repeated recognizable patterns, unchanging rules—also make them suitable for automation. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/dd248051-162d-4901-914f-a80f35863161))
> But what would an education that emphasizes critical thinking look like? For a start, Epstein endorses Casadevall’s call for fewer required classes and greater opportunities for students to learn outside of their field. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/660a4579-7a2c-4403-adec-9f72b66b8ce2))
> Epstein cites a computer science professor who argues that the “computational thinking” required to code should be a part of the gen ed curriculum, as it’s a problem-solving framework that involves breaking down complex problems into solvable components. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/52ed2846-dffb-49cf-988d-3b170fa6565d))
> Instead of picking one skill and trying to stick with it for your whole life, Epstein suggests that you:
> Explore and Experiment
> Specialize Inefficiently
> Be Prepared to Pivot ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/d36bf6de-f0b0-4732-a33f-b9464ff3ead7))
> if you learned your second language later in life, you gain the additional advantage of discovering which language-learning strategies best work for you ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/c17ae4a6-30d6-4286-942e-6055413c9c46))
> On average, generalists have slow “inefficient” starts, but end up outpacing specialists in the long run. This comes down to the way they learn, which is more complex than the typical idea of deliberate practice. Epstein argues that we shouldn’t optimize learning for efficiency—the most effective learning is slow and difficult ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/b7d6c1ab-2d61-4e2a-9c5b-b2ac6af2b325))
> Shortform note: This part of Epstein’s argument overlaps with general consensus. Several of the most popular books on learning, including Anders Ericsson’s Peak, Ultralearning by Scott Young, and Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown, emphasize the fact that how you learn matters far more than how much time you spend learning.) ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/cafa388f-5b8f-4b0c-98c3-3873323d777c))
> because they’re slow and difficult, Why Questions are drastically underrepresented in most schools, leaving students unable to use what they’re learning in real life. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/4099c5b8-4a85-40d7-9e8a-76e2a24f4183))
> The “spacing effect” is a similar phenomenon—people retain more knowledge if there are lengthy gaps between study sessions on the same information. In the long run, someone who studies the facts about a historical battle will retain more information if they’re tested in a month than if they have to take the test on the same day. The more time that’s passed since you reviewed the information, the harder it is to recall—which is exactly the point. It’s the struggle of a difficult test that makes the information easier to remember for years to come.
> (Shortform note: Because of the spacing effect, the best way to learn anything is to create a long-term review schedule. The review sessions don’t have to be long—30 minutes is plenty—but they should be spaced out over a long period of time. Use longer intervals as you get better at retaining the information in order to keep recall difficult, and eventually you’ll remember it indefinitely.) ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/7122f24f-e28c-4aa6-b370-6fac7012efe2))
> Interleaving is when multiple kinds of problems are mixed together in review—for example, a cumulative math test in which consecutive problems are drawn from different chapters of the book. Interleaving works because it requires learners to analyze each problem before determining how to solve it, which engages their abstract strategic mindset. This is more difficult than if all the problems of one type are “blocked” together, but it vastly improves retention. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/41045ddc-8d9e-45a9-9cba-af75153f9466))
> When it comes to skill acquisition, Epstein makes the case that slow, directionless exploration provides more robust skill than the specialist’s style of learning through intense, efficient drills. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/dda54eef-40fc-436f-9461-b6fb0440118d))
> The researchers concluded that the overlearners’ weakened performance was a side effect of their “resilient” experience with the first task. They had learned the first skill so well that they found it difficult to stray from the procedure. In other words, overlearning narrow skills hinders the application of those skills in new contexts. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/86bbb2ff-9d9c-4b1b-a892-629783a32ff0))
> The Generalist Is Prepared to Pivot ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/767d8677-4a0d-4473-9f07-f32f9f1000ab))
> The Dip: How to Know When to Quit
> Epstein directly cites Seth Godin’s The Dip in this section—a book all about how grit is overrated. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/4ec39090-d400-4616-af79-0862c710385c))
> Reason #1: You Will Change ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/5be664b1-efc3-4d47-96f5-d8eadd2616de))
> Reason #2: You Can’t Predict Future Opportunities ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/db1ba563-fa5d-4141-84a4-71c11adc7e59))
> Reason #3: You Can’t Predict How Well a Job Will Fit ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/0490eb90-e239-4b3c-b6bf-2352a99b999a))
> In So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Cal Newport warns against taking Epstein’s argument too far—you shouldn’t be afraid to pivot if you’re stuck in a job you hate, but you shouldn’t expect your job to be thrilling and life-affirming every second of the day, either.
> In Newport’s eyes, it’s alright to start a career in something you’re not passionate about. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/a706d342-95ad-4f20-a98c-71c8eaf9fadd))
> generalists are more likely to come up with successful creative ideas than specialists. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/9193260d-3bde-4025-a910-135e0771cf6a))
> Generalists Consider a Range of Perspectives ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/37fb4c13-c44e-46e7-8aa1-038425663e82))
> what set “superforecasters” apart was their ability to integrate a broad range of information and contradictory perspectives instead of being bogged down by a single point of view—which Epstein argues is a generalist’s specialty. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/b8983ae9-4ade-483b-92d8-7b3eec554564))
> While specialists succeed by being one of a rare few who understand something, generalists are uniquely good at using less knowledge in more effective ways. Generalists try to limit themselves to only the information relevant to the problem at hand, and they draw that relevant information from a bevy of unlikely sources. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/720ddb52-11df-4dfb-a45f-afdd67f7566d))
> Generalists are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this kind of imbalance. If 80% of results come from 20% of ideas, deep, specialized knowledge isn’t always required. Generalists prioritize the quality of ideas over quantity of ideas, and as a result, often find more success than specialists despite knowing far less. ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/cdfd6078-9c03-4861-947f-01f9793ebbd3))
> Generalists’ Pareto Principle ([View Highlight](https://www.shortform.com/app/highlights/b16c481b-42e6-4fc4-825e-4453e3e19ae0))