Factfulness
Hans Rosling ( July 27, 1948, to February 7, 2017)last book titled Factfulness is an interesting read for aimed at pointing out how we fail to see the world as it truly is. The book points how the world is improving, but inherent instincts we possess blinds from capturing that reality. These flaws feed into the media narrative and internal systems of judgment, compelling us to hold on to preconceived notions about the state of things rather than a renewed opinion based on fact.
Some of the instincts he points out are:
- Our tendencies to divide the world into us vs them;
- Our tendencies to focus more on the bad going on in the world rather than the good;
- How we assume a constant rate of change in everything and fail to see the possibility of patterns and curves;
- Our tendencies to amplify the things we are afraid of;
- Tendencies to be impressed by numbers, even when presented out of context;
- Tendencies to wrongly categorise based on sweeping generalisations made;
- Tendencies to assume destiny is set in stone, and fail to realise that changes are occurring, however slowly;
- Tendencies to have a limited perspective on an issue;
- Tendencies to always want someone to blame for all ills;
- Tendencies to assume things are more urgent than they actually are.
These feed these tendencies into our daily interactions and are later enhanced fundamentals building blocks for the cultural element of the global society. The book aims to provide tools to improve our views of the world and hold a view of the world based on facts.
Because holding on to these flawed views might actually be a bigger threat that the things we fear.
