Book Review #2

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Book Review

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World - and Why Things Are Better Than You Think

Written by Hans Rosling, with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund


  Factfullness provides a refreshing take some of the lunacy that runs when a human mind meets data. Specifically, there are ten instincts:

  1. The Gap Instinct
  2. The Negativity Instinct
  3. The Straight Line Instinct
  4. The Fear Instinct
  5. The Size Instinct
  6. The Generalization Instinct
  7. The Destiny Instinct
  8. The Single Perspective Instinct
  9. The Blame Instinct
  10. The Urgency Instinct
  These instincts and the steps to combat these situations come as a relief to those who are looking for a more realistic tone to the information you can get in the your news consumption. I will warn in advance that this book will be a hard pill to swallow if you don't have an open mind and/or you do not wish to look past what news sources tends to spin and hype up to get your attention. 

  In the end...

PROS
  • Data from this book is factual and comes from reputable sources. Bonus with the way things are going in the United States right now! 
  • A gentler approach to statistical information compared to The Big Sort, which makes for a nicer read. 
  • Gives steps to combat the instincts instead of just packing information into the pages. Some are easy, while some prove to be more challenging.
CONS
  • Provides different economic-centered system that is great for data, but may come across as cold or distant. It does get rid of the "West and Rest" distinction, but brings about another one that doesn't really help with an "us vx them" mentality.
  • Anyone going into this book looking to be justified in their beliefs may find the book difficult. If you are this person, you may discover many things that might make you feel a bit inadequate about your beliefs concerning any of the topics and data brought up. 
  • Outro to the book ends the discussion on a bittersweet note. I won't spoil it, but I will give you the warning. 

Would I recommend it?
  Absolutely! It is a great eye opener coupled with actions the reader can do to combat all of these instincts.

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