Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

Throughout Range, Epstein deliberately gathers stories of individuals working in a variety of fields and individuals who in some way or another have drawn on diversity in their work. In this way, Epstein both promotes diversity as an asset and attempts to exemplify it through the examples chosen for his book. Diversity works at several levels within Range, encompassing a wealth of identities, abilities, and experiences.

For instance, when describing the experience of influential leader Frances Hesselbein, Epstein notes she did not enter her career until her 50s. While hyperspecialization would suggest an individual must begin training for leadership beginning at a much earlier age, examples like Hesselbein’s show there is value in the points of view of all stages of life. Moreover, Epstein implies, experience gathered over time has value, even when that experience seems only indirectly related. Similarly, Chapter 3’s discussion of musicians notes that training on multiple instruments can be deeply enriching in contrast to the expectations of hyperspecialized training, which assumes that intensive, focused practice on a single instrument is the only path toward mastery. The fact that the figlie del coro in Venice were trained on multiple instruments is further evidence in support of diversity.