From the Bookshelf of Science and Inquiry…

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

Hans Rosling,

Ola Rosling

Start date: August 1, 2018

Finish date: August 31, 2018

Discussion: Book Club 2018

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Book Club 2018

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Jun 15, 2018 David Rubenstein rated it really liked it

Shelves: psychology, politics

This is a fascinating book about how we think about the world, and many of the ways in which we think incorrectly. To start off, the reader is encouraged to take the Factfulness quiz. It consists of thirteen multiple-choice questions. Most people do worse than pure chance, i.e., a chimpanzee could achieve a better score! It goes to show how our thinking about the world is stereotypical, and not in accordance with the world as it really is.

This book has much in common with a couple of books by St This is a fascinating book about how we think about the world, and many of the ways in which we think incorrectly. To start off, the reader is encouraged to take the Factfulness quiz. It consists of thirteen multiple-choice questions. Most people do worse than pure chance, i.e., a chimpanzee could achieve a better score! It goes to show how our thinking about the world is stereotypical, and not in accordance with the world as it really is.

This book has much in common with a couple of books by Stephen Pinker; The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined and also Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress. Hans Rosling argues that the world is a much better place, in many ways, than it was just a few decades ago. Not better in all respects, but in many important aspects. The problem is that most people do not realize just how much better it has become--we still have stereotypical views of most of the world's population, and the trends that are happening now.

The author offers advice on how to think more clearly, for example, "avoid lonely numbers." That is to say, do not place much emphasis on single numbers, because without some context, they do not say much without at least one other number for comparison. Rosling gives many concrete examples of things to keep in mind, when trying to make sense of trends, statistics, and numbers. The book is filled with anecdotes that show how generalizations can lead to faulty thinking--I just love the story about a student rushing to an elevator, stretching out her leg to keep the doors from closing. That is a perfectly OK thing to do in Sweden--but not necessarily in India.

And, the author relates some anecdotes where he, himself was thinking incorrectly. He is humble enough to show that he sometimes makes these very mistakes, as illustrations of faulty thinking.

While the book is fun to read, and very engaging, it does have some problems. It seems to be a bit repetitive at times, and maybe even a bit preachy. Nevertheless, it is worth reading, and probably everyone can learn a great deal from this book. ...more

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Aug 24, 2021 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1audio, 2non-fiction, science

While the writing is slow, often repetitious, & he drops the names of the prestigious groups he has spoken to constantly, there is still a lot of good information. He makes a compelling case for how badly we understand the state of the world. Each chapter addresses a brain bug & associated bad information that leads us into errors. The ignorance of policy makers on the actual state of the world means they can't make good decisions. He shows (over & over & over!) that random answers would have be ...more

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Oct 13, 2021 Mitchell Friedman rated it really liked it

Shelves: published-2018, ebook, nonfiction, library, liked-reviews

Always a good thing to question your way of thinking, your knowledge, your assumptions. This book expounds on its point in a fairly regimented way. But its points are worth hearing and knowing. Its basic point, that the world is better than you think, is really one of trajectory. That point is hindered by wondering what has changed recently. But really the point of this book is that much of the positive trajectory described in this book would be difficult to slow or turn. A lot to think about, t ...more

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Sep 26, 2019 Silvio rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A recipe to critical thinking

I always like Gapminder mission and vision, at the same level that Our World in Data. This book goes beyond a list of stats to remember (or forget): it is more about mechanisms that you can put in place to review and analiza and act based on what’s happening around you without jumping into harmful generalizations.

Even if you think that the tone is optimistic and it does not address the critical issues of the world, read carefully until the end. It is a serious remind ...more

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