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Factfulness - it's time to update your worldview
The book shows 10 tips to see the world as it is (as closely possible). In the very first page of the book, there is questionnaire with ten questions and you got to answer it first before start reading. I bought this book at the secondhand book store and this questionnaire is what made me buy this book. The author said he was quite surprised when he found out that even the smartest and even the most educated people can't beat the chimps - the random selection of answers which means they don't know about the world. Their data set is stuck in somewhere in 1960s and this is what driving resources distributed in wrong places. The author pointed out 10 instincts which distort our worldview so that we can beware of them when we face those instincts. Though there are still some omitted considerations on the world, this is still a good assistant help you see the world as it is.
1. The Gap Instinct
The first instinct which distorts our worldview. There is no such thing as "Us" and "Them". There was a gap in the past - like 1960s- but not anymore. The author Hans insists to divide world into four groups according to the income level, and majority of the world population are in the middle-level 2 and level 3. So the thought that there's probably a huge gap between rich countries and poor countries is just a mere imagination now. To control this instinct, you should mind looking for the majority and beware to fall in to a data distortions with averages and extremes.
2. The Negativity Instinct
The second one is related to the first one - the gap instinct. Actually all ten instinct are related tho.
This is the instinct which drives you to think situation worse than it is. This was probably helpful when we were foragers since optimist and naive ones would die easily than others - but now, this is what distorts our sight even when we face the data. Well, talking about the world poverty, it has improved dramatically and the population living in extreme poverty has almost halved in the last 20 years. You should keep in mind that situation could be both bad and better. It may in the bad circumstances but it could be still improving. Since gradual improvements is not the one which news and media loves, so keep that in mind that don't be fooled with what media says.
3. The Straight Line Instinct
Things don't grow steady. The straight line in a graph is one of the rare trend in the world. Instead, S-Bends or Slides is the ones you can see relatively common and there's still various kind of trend including Humps and Doubling Lines. Don't assume the data will grow forever.
4. The Fear Instinct
This is also the one helped us survive in prehistoric times but now it is one of the instincts which hinders our understanding on the world. When we were afraid, we tend to get situation worse than it really is and lack to decide rationally. To control the fear instinct, calculate the risks and get calm before you carry on.
-It isn't driven by "media logic" among the producers so much as by "attention logic" in the heads of the consumers.(p107)
5. The Size Instinct
We easily can be fooled by numbers if we take just a lonely number. You cannot decided whether it is large or small with only just a number alone. You have to compare it with other numbers. A good way to figure out the importance of the number is using proportion. Even the number itself looks big, its actual size can be found out with comparison.
6. The Generalization Instinct
The one we are so easily driven by in daily life. We tend to make a decision on a group based on its single individual because that is an easy and effective way. But you know, this is also an easy way to lead you to the wrong path. When you face this, question your categories. Look for differences within groups, similarities across groups.
7. The Density Instinct
Remember saying, "Slow and Steady wins the race." When change is slowly done, it is hard to conceive it but it is STILL change. But these changes are not the one media like which makes it harder to recognize. But, it is still change. To see that little turtle is slowing moving forward, keep track of gradual improvements and update your date. Talking your parents or even grandparents would be a good way to go.
8. The Single Perspective Instinct
The saying "give a child a hammer and everything looks like a nail." suddenly remind me of my times in University. I majored Statistics and when I studied that one, everything in the world seems like it could be solved in a statistical way. And this very instinct is the one we should beware of. With just one single data, there could be various perspective of view on that so don't be buried in a single perspective. You should get a toolbox, no a hammer.
9. The Blame Instinct
Everything in this modern society is related to one another complicatedly. So when problem broke out, it is hard to take just one definite cause for this reason. But it is our instinct to eager to find a villain and blame him for all the problems. But it is not the world it is. You should resist finding a scapegoat and look for causes and systems, not villains or heroes.
10. The Urgency Instinct
"Now and Never" give us pressure to do something right now but it also relieves us not to do anything. Because it takes off the guilty feeling of not doing as saying now or NEVER. In this way it blocks our roads and our minds. Media, journalists and activists are tend to exaggerate the situation in a worse way to make people take part in and take action. But this kind of urgency feeling not only can make us take action but also it could make us block our mind and do not pay attention anymore. What needs for solving problem is not urgency feeling but small actions. Take small steps when you face this instinct. Organize the data and be wary of drastic action.
-When a problem seems urgent the first thing to do is not to cry wolf, but to organize the data (p235)
I felt sorrow when I found out that the author Hans passed away before the book is published. During the reading I felt like he is talking right next to me like grandpa, advising me in a strict but pleasant way. Tho there are still a lot of elements worsening the world did not described in the book, "Factfulness' is a very good assistant helping seeing the world properly, as it is.