The #1 Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestseller longlisted for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year.
'A hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases' BARACK OBAMA
Things aren't as bad as we think. Fact.
At last, a book that puts all the bad news in perspective- and brings us surprisingly positive data that show the state of the world has in fact improved over the last 50-200 years. Acclaimed by Bill Gates and Barack Obama, named an Observer 'best brainy book of the decade' - destined to be a perennial bestseller and non-fiction classic. (let's make that a fact!)
'Wonderful . . . a passionate and erudite message that is all more moving because it comes from beyond the grave . . . His knack for presentation and delight in statistics come across on every page. Who else would choose a chart of "guitars per capita" as a proxy for human progress?' FINANCIAL TIMES
'One of the most important books I've ever read - an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.' BILL GATES
One of the most important books I've ever read - an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.' BILL GATES
'Hans Rosling tells the story of "the secret silent miracle of human progress" as only he can. But Factfulness does much more than that. It also explains why progress is so often secret and silent and teaches readers how to see it clearly.' MELINDA GATES
Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts.
When asked simple questions about global trends - why the world's population is increasing; how many young women go to school; how many of us live in poverty - we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers.
In Factfulness, Professor of International Health and a man who can make data sing, Hans Rosling, together with his two long-time collaborators Anna and Ola, offers a radical new explanation of why this happens, and reveals the ten instincts that distort our perspective.
It turns out that the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most.
Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, Factfulness is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world.
I recommend starting 2021 with the late Hans Rosling's book,
Factfulness - for incontrovertible evidence of "the secret, silent miracle of human progress."