“Factfulness: Embracing the Stress-Reducing Habit of Evidence-Based Opinions
When faced with straightforward questions about global trends—such as the percentage of people living in poverty worldwide, the reasons behind population growth, or the rate of girls finishing school—we consistently provide incorrect answers. In fact, our accuracy is so off that a chimpanzee randomly selecting answers would consistently outperform teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers.
In the eye-opening book, Factfulness, renowned Professor of International Health and TED speaker, Hans Rosling, along with his long-time collaborators, Anna and Ola, presents a groundbreaking explanation for this phenomenon. They shed light on ten innate instincts that warp our perception—ranging from our tendency to oversimplify the world into opposing camps (usually an ‘us versus them’ mentality) to our susceptibility to fear-driven media consumption, as well as our biased view of progress (assuming that most things are deteriorating).
The crux of our problem lies in our lack of awareness of what we don’t know, and even our educated guesses are tainted by unconscious and predictable biases.
Surprisingly, despite its imperfections, the world is in a far better state than we tend to believe. This doesn’t dismiss genuine concerns, but it underscores the importance of adopting a fact-based worldview. When we worry incessantly about everything without grounding our perspectives in evidence, we risk losing sight of the genuine threats that demand our attention.
Factfulness is an inspirational and eye-opening journey, brimming with captivating anecdotes and poignant stories. It serves as an urgent and indispensable guide that transforms our perception of the world, empowering us to effectively address future crises and seize opportunities with a well-informed outlook.”
