David Epstein

Journalist at Range Widely

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Articles

Be Alice, Not Caeser

1 week ago | davidepstein.substack.com | David Epstein

Last month I had the honor and pleasure of giving the commencement address at Drew University. Michael Lewis, one of the great nonfiction writers of a generation (Moneyball, The Blind Side, etc.), delivered the Drew commencement address fifteen years ago. I watched a clip of Michael’s address, and his main point was that people shouldn’t be so quick to define what they’ll do in life.
A Dubious Science History Lesson

3 weeks ago | davidepstein.substack.com | David Epstein

Last week, I watched a clip of Vice President Vance downplaying concerns about scientific “brain drain.” His remarks came after the administration abruptly paused new federal research grant awards and student visa interviews.
Fact-Checking and the Illusion of Explanatory Depth

1 month ago | davidepstein.substack.com | David Epstein

This post was going to be a short note saying that I might not post for a bit. Instead, I figured it would be more interesting to write about what, precisely, has me so busy: fact-checking. My new book is in finished-enough form that I hired someone to torture me on a daily basis by combing the manuscript for errors. So far the necessary changes have been numerous but blessedly small. Still, they take up an enormous amount of time.
Making a Wicked Learning Environment More Kind

2 months ago | davidepstein.substack.com | David Epstein

Last month, I had the pleasure of joining Forrest Hanson on “Being Well,” a mental health-focused podcast that he often co-hosts with his father, psychologist Rick Hanson. At one point, we discussed how professionals who specialize very narrowly can sometimes become rigid and stop improving. One manifestation of this is the so-called Einstellung effect, in which a problem solver reflexively relies on familiar methods — even when they no longer work, or better ones are available.
Feedback Isn’t a Yelp Review

2 months ago | medium.com | David Epstein

Feedback QuandaryFeedback is like fire — it can warm or burn, depending on how it’s delivered. We all receive it in one way or another. But it shouldn’t be something that we fear. It should be something that we take as a constructive experience. Nevertheless, how it is perceived is not always by what is said but by how it is said. Nobody responds well to feedback with the tone and composition of a bad Yelp review.
How (And Why) To Build More: Derek Thompson on "Abundance"

2 months ago | davidepstein.substack.com | David Epstein

The book Abundance, by journalists Ezra Klein (New York Times) and Derek Thompson (The Atlantic), came out last month — and during the week that followed, not a day passed without a friend or acquaintance bringing it up. Some praised it, others had critiques, but every conversation was interesting. If Helen of Troy was “the face that launched a thousand ships,” Abundance may be a book that launches a thousand policy debates.
Range: Concluding Thoughts

Mar 30, 2025 | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg |David Epstein

Be a Swiss army knife of a human. Hello, readers! I hope you enjoyed our four-week journey through ’s Range — I sure did. It gave me a whole new appreciation for my own journey in both my career and the various side projects I’ve worked on over the years. More than that, it feels like a foundational philosophical element to a well-lived life. Let’s dive…
Why You Should Get Lost More Often

Mar 25, 2025 | davidepstein.substack.com | David Epstein

Is the drive to explore new places and ideas embedded in human biology? In a rapidly changing work world, should we all be exploring a little more? Can trying new things actually be good for your health? These are the kinds of questions at the heart of a new book, The Explorer’s Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map, out today. The author, Alex Hutchinson, is one of the best science writers working today.
Why You Need a Warmup

Mar 18, 2025 | davidepstein.substack.com | David Epstein

What do you think of when you hear the word “warmup”? If you’re like me, probably athletes limbering up before competition. But perhaps we should think of it more broadly. Last week, I read an intriguing study that applied the idea of a warmup in less obvious arena: pediatric anesthesia.
Range: Intro - Chapter 3

Mar 9, 2025 | thebigread.substack.com | Jeremy Anderberg |David Epstein

Hello readers! I’m so excited to have started Range this week. It’s a book I’ve dipped my toes into a bunch of times for various reasons but never read straight through. This time around, I got hooked and have really enjoyed picking it up every morning. Though it was published about six years ago, the ideas and insights feel fresher than ever and even seem like they’ll actually continue to get more poignant as time goes on.

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