Episode · People I (Mostly) Admire · 2021-07-10
Steve Levitt & David Epstein: books mentioned on People I (Mostly) Admire #35
David Epstein Knows Something About Almost Everything | People I (Mostly) Admire | Episode 35
Steve Levitt discussed Range by David J. Epstein, The Sports Gene by David Epstein, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, and The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Range
Range by David J.
Discussed“His second book, Range, discusses the benefits of being a generalist in a world overrun with specialists.”
Where to get it
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The Sports Gene
The Sports Gene by David Epstein is an investigative science book that explores the complex interplay between innate genetic predisposition and rigorous environmental training in shaping elite athletic performance.
Discussed“I think many listeners will be shocked to hear that David Epstein destroyed the 10,000 hour Concept in his first book The Sports Stream”
Where to get it
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Outliers
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is an examination of the external factors, cultural legacies, and massive amounts of practice that contribute to extraordinary success.
Discussed“so I started our conversation by comparing you to Malcolm Gladwell and the 10,000 hour rule that you're taking a part in your book The Sports Gene that was popularized by Gladwell in his book outliers”
Where to get it
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The Tipping Point
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is a famous exploration of how little things can make a big difference in sparking social epidemics, trends, and behavioral changes.
Discussed“this was back in 2006 and Malcolm had argued in the Tipping Point that Innovative policing was a reason that crime had gone down in the 199s”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (4) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“his first book The Sports Gene examines the role of nature versus nurture in determining who will excel in sports”
“and his second book range TS the benefits of being a generalist in a world overrun with Specialists and if you're looking for real world support for Epstein's argument”
“you have to proactively work against that to develop some breath or as I called a range and that it's worthwhile and that there are huge benefits to that”
“To give an example of that short-term long-term trade-off, a study came out too recently for me to get it into my book.”