WORLD REVIEW: FACTFULNESS — By Hans Rosling
“World cannot be understood without numbers but world cannot be understood with number alone.”
Title: Factfullness — 10 Reasons we’re wrong about the world & why things are better than we think
Author: Hans Rosling — With Ola & Anna Rosling
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Date of Publication: April 3, 2018
Number of pages: 341
Type of Book: Non Fictional
Overview:
I grew up with the idea that there are developed countries and developing countries. There was the ‘rich’ world and the ‘poor’ world. I didn’t actively consider it; it’s just always been there. And it’s not entirely true
Hans Rosling, in his excellent book shows reality poorer countries were more likely to have larger families and a high child mortality rate have changed a lot since 1965. The world has changed a lot since then and now that model of dividing up the world into two buckets just doesn’t hold true with the data any more. Most people in the world are somewhere in the middle.
Hans further focuses 10 set of emotion-fueled “instincts” to frame the state of the world, painting a much gloomier-than-reality picture of everything from global education to healthcare and natural disasters.
Objective:
Book is result of 18 years collaborated work of Hans Rosling with Ola and Anna Rosling, in 2005 author found gapminder foundation with a mission to fight devastating ignorance with fact based world view. Most of authors understanding of world comes from travel, study and work experience across the world. The facts in book are very well supported by data analysis, data stories well explained using Visuals graphic presentation & personal stories. Hans liked to call himself a “possibilist,” which is a perfect way to describe this worldview. He believed that things could get better, not that they will get better. Book is meant for the general audience.
About Author:
Hans Rosling (27 July 1948–7 February 2017) was a Swedish physician, academic, and public speaker. He was a professor of international health at Karolinska Institute[4] and was the co-founder and chairman of the Gapminder Foundation, which developed the Trendalyzer software system. Hans Rosling held presentations around the world, including several TED Talks[5] in which he promoted the use of data (and data visualization) to explore development issues. Hans Rosling died of pancreatic 2017, bit his book is out post-mortem, after his son and daughter-in-law finished the final pages for him. Not only this book has shown optimistic way of looking at the world pic but book does have many interesting stats to support the same.
Evaluation:
Factfulness is amazing effort by author to help people understand that thing are not bad as it seems to be and we have been moving toward better It explains more clearly why it’s so difficult for people to perceive progress. He offers clear, practical advice on how to overcome our innate prejudices and look more factfully at the world. This is one of the most educational books I’ve ever read, and I think everyone can benefit from the authors insights.
Authors most the world’s understanding came not only from studying data but also by spending time with other people. Book will give an incredibly deep understanding of humanity that goes beyond numbers. But book does not include info things are measurably becoming worse: global warming, the extinction of the planet’s species at an unprecedented rate, and our collective inability to work together to solve global problems, such as a pandemic. It also fails to look at all the data and show the skepticism he champions to overcome many of the instincts.
Key Take Away:
In your country, in your field of work and in your organization there are a number of facts that you need to know. When you know the facts, it helps you create a better worldview. And a fact-based worldview is more comfortable. It creates less stress and hopelessness than dramatic view, simply because dramatic one is so negative and terrifying.
The book really gave me a sigh of relief. It feels really good when you know that the world has become better and is getting better. An enjoyable read.
Definite thumps up!
