SYSK Choice: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World & Amazing Extreme Animals

When it comes to easing traffic congestion, sometimes the solution is worse than the original problem. This episode begins with a tale of how trying to ease traffic tends to cause more of it. It’s all about “build it and they will come.” (Source: Edward Humes author of the book Door to Door https://amzn.to/2EQKFNs).

To be successful, it’s important that you get really good at one specific thing as soon as possible. In other words, you have to specialize. While that concept seems to make sense, it turns out to be flawed, according to journalist David Epstein, author of the book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (https://amzn.to/2WdTjLG). Listen as he explains why being a generalist is likely better even though people tend to think the opposite is true. 

Far fewer parents spank their kids than they used to – but some still do. They likely believe in the “spare the rod, spoil the child” approach to parenting. Listen as I explain why a lot of those parents will live to regret it. (Source: Karl Pillemer author of the book 30 Lessons for Living https://amzn.to/2WqxXzN)

Our world is crawling with “extreme” creatures. By that I mean the largest, fastest, smallest, strongest and smartest. There is a lot we can learn from these animals and organisms. For example, the largest mammal could help us end cancer. The fastest bird is teaching engineers about flight. Matthew LaPlante, a professor of journalism at Utah State University is author of the book Superlative: The Biology of Extremes (https://amzn.to/2WmlPA3). He joins me to reveal the fascinating reasons why these creatures became so extreme in their own right and why they are so fascinating and potentially helpful to mankind.

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