Lesson 2: Increasing population growth is blown out of proportion, because it’s likely to level off rather soon.Ī second megamisconception, as Rosling calls these ideas that are rooted deeply, but incredibly wrong, is that of our impending doom due to exponential population growth. One thing’s for sure: dividing the world geographically to determine its economic, demographic, or psychological state is useless. If we use child mortality, for example, only 13 countries could be considered ‘developing’ today. How do we even define ‘developing’ and ‘developed?’ But the truth is, whatever gap there was has almost completely disappeared over the past 20 years. This instilled an us-vs-them mentality early on. I, too, have grown up in a time where schools would teach Westerners that their countries are developed, while Asian ones are currently developing, trying to catch up. The example he uses to illustrate it is the classic division of the world into East and West. He calls it ‘the gap instinct.’ It’s our tendency to want to see things as black and white. What I hope to be a clever Quora answer of mine is also one of the first points Rosling makes.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don’t. If you want to save this summary for later, download the free PDF and read it whenever you want.ĭownload PDF Lesson 1: The East vs. Let’s learn how to find them anyway! Factfulness Summary

The world is trying hard to hide the facts from you on a day-to-day basis. To see the world accurately, you always need multiple perspectives.Population growth will eventually level off, despite our perception of increasing numbers.There is no such thing as “the East and the West.” We only have one world.Here are my favorite 3 and the lessons I learned from debunking them: But beyond giving us the facts, it helps us see them for ourselves by diving into ten mental biases that obstruct our thinking. Written by the Swedish, late professor, sword swallower, and public speaker Hans Rosling, it’s a book about the current state of the world. It’s no wonder, then, that Factfulness is another one of his 2018 favorites. That’s why Bill Gates is such a big fan of books like Enlightenment Now, which bring us up to speed with data about the world. Usually, life is better than news outlets make us believe, so focusing on the facts, but staying positive, will help you form clearer opinions. I still focus on the positive, but I try not to sugarcoat things.Īs it turns out, with fake news and advertising-driven media becoming more and more extreme, this was a good move. Over the years, I’ve learned to become more of a realist-optimist. I read and read, thinking I would somehow make it as an entrepreneur. When I first got into reading blogs, learning about self-improvement, and exploring the startup scene, I was a delusional optimist.

Factfulness bill gates