Factfulness-Hans Rosling
***/***** Science
Factfulness: Ten reasons why we are wrong about the
world and why things are better than you think
Hans Rosling
Human mind evolved to proffer certain advantage to its owner, so that
the latter could survive better in its environment and consequently leave
behind more copies of its genes. Knowledge of imminent dangers lurking just around
the corner, choice about nutritious food, ways to procure a healthy mate and
nurture a large brood of children; these skills helped in out-breeding other
species. Sadly, most intricate knowledge of how world worked, was not necessary
in this scheme of things. But human mind has one great capacity. It never fails
to come up with an answer to a riddle, of which it has no clue, whatsoever. It
brings into action, mechanisms it employs to solve similar problems, though of
vastly different nature and conjures an answer. It builds a coherent,
believable narrative from such inferences and uses them to unravel many other
mysteries of day-to-day living. This capacity to work by intuition, rather than
rigorous reasoning helps the organism to successfully and expeditiously
navigate hurdle-ridden life. But this propensity also builds an inherent bias
in human decision-making apparatus, when confronted with situations that
require knowledge of facts and figures. For reasoning and statistics are
anathema to the intuitive, story-loving, instantly deciding human mind.
In this book, Hans Rosling, a Public Health professional, presents a
strong case to adapt a fact-based worldview. Our worldview influences the
manner in which we perceive future, present problems afflicting humanity, the
real and imagined dangers to our wellbeing, measures we think are appropriate
to solve the seemingly humungous problems of the world, our xenophobia, our
empathies or condemnation of world-poor and many such areas. Blindness for
fact-based worldview afflicts not only lay people, but also professionals like
politicians, environmentalists, governments of nations, policy planners,
businessmen, etc. These are the people who rely on their perceptions about
world to decide future course action, which affect lives of millions. And in
many areas their judgements are widely at variance from the truth as revealed
by facts. Reason for fact-blindness of man lies in the way our mind has evolved
and hence, it is not possible to conquer these fault-producing mechanisms. Only
recourse is to be aware of the fallacies of our instincts in certain situations
and to rely on facts in these instances, rather than on the forceful assertion
of our mind. This is of utmost importance for people whose decisions affect
lives of large number of people. Hans Rosling groups the reasons for our faulty
worldview under ten instincts of human mind and devotes a chapter to each. He
illustrates each with many, real-life examples, which are fascinating to read
and easy to grasp. Book is written in a simple prose, providing clear and
concise explanations of concepts discussed. I remembered Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking
Fast & Slow as I read the instincts Rosling mentions in each chapter.
Kahneman has explained the psychological basis of these instincts in his
stunningly lucid book.
Factfulness is a must read for every person who thinks about our world
and contemplates the fate of its occupants. It is indispensable for
professionals whom people elect or in whom they repose faith, to improve their
lot.
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