To thrive in a "wicked" world, you need range

Most compelling of all is the evidence that having a capacity for abstraction and the ability to transfer concepts is the key to success in our “wicked” world.

We don’t operate in a “kind” world with easy-to-discern rules, and Epstein is not offering any. Instead, Epstein promotes concepts.

especially in postmodern life, where rote tasks are increasingly automated and pretty much any fact can be discovered with a web search, the rules aren’t straightforward. What it takes to be great is intellectual flexibility.

If you only have one tool, you’ll use it in every situation—but you can’t use a hammer to screw things and you can’t use a saw to hammer a nail, so the wise human accumulates a bunch of tools, and getting this varied toolkit takes time.

He urges individuals—and parents especially—to abandon the desire for instant gratification and easy answers as early performance on tests isn’t an indicator of professional success. He emphasizes traits over particular skills—be curious, flexible, open-minded, adventurous, experimental, and playful. Try and fail and try again. Explore. Read outsid... See more