Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

From a very young age, Tiger Woods was trained in golf. Meanwhile, Roger Federer was exploring many different sports before focussing on Tennis. Both are among the greatest to play their sport. Which approach is best? In Range, Epstein argues that the general approach is preferable. Intense specialization can lead to success. However, it can also lead to burn out. More importantly, those that over-specialize are more likely to robotically follow the rules than to bring new innovations to their field. Savants are often great at "following algorithms" for their preferred endeavors. However, most innovations and scientific discoveries come from those that have interests in other fields.

The book is filled with examples in which narrow specialists miss out on a key insights that outsiders were able to bring to the table. Specialists have their place. They often work within established norms and processes to carry out small scale improvements. However, we need the generalists to apply knowledge from elsewhere to make the big improvements in society. Our current state of uber-specialization is concerning, but it also creates opportunities for generalists to achieve.

Another related topic brought up in the book is "late bloomers". We often hear about the child prodigies. However, there are also people that pivot later in life to a new field or activity. There are many examples of success, especially with people that have been able to apply learnings from other fields. People don't necessarily need to know everything. However, a breadth of experience can be helpful in putting things together in different ways for the benefit of society.