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

Critical thinking is always difficult, but it’s almost impossible when we are scared. There’s no room for facts when our minds are occupied by fear.

The fear instinct is so strong that it can make people collaborate across the world, to make the greatest progress.

Factfulness is … recognizing when frightening things get our attention, and remembering that these are not necessarily the most risky.

“In the deepest poverty you should never do anything perfectly. If you do you are stealing resources from where they can be better used.”

Factfulness is … recognizing when a lonely number seems impressive (small or large), and remembering that you could get the opposite impression if it were compared with or divided by some other relevant number.

Assume You Are Not “Normal” and Other People Are Not Idiots

Be cautious about generalizing from Level 4 experiences to the rest of the world. Especially if it leads you to the conclusion that other people are idiots.

Factfulness is … recognizing when a category is being used in an explanation, and remembering that categories can be misleading. We can’t stop generalization and we shouldn’t even try. What we should try to do is to avoid generalizing incorrectly.

Look for differences within groups.

Look for similarities across groups.

Look for differences across groups.

Beware of “the majority.”

Assume people are not idiots. When something looks strange, be curious and humble, and think, In what way is this a smart solution?

don’t confuse slow change with no change.

To control the destiny instinct, stay open to new data and be prepared to keep freshening up your knowledge.

Factfulness is … recognizing that many things (including people, countries, religions, and cultures) appear to be constant just because the change is happening slowly, and remembering that even small, slow changes gradually add up to big changes.

rather than talking only to people who agree with you, or collecting examples that fit your ideas, see people who contradict you, disagree with you, and put forward different ideas as a great resource for understanding the world.

Almost every activist I have ever met, whether deliberately or, more likely, unknowingly, exaggerates the problem to which they have dedicated themselves

Factfulness is … recognizing that a single perspective can limit your imagination, and remembering that it is better to look at problems from many angles to get a more accurate understanding and find practical solutions.

Have people who disagree with you test your ideas and find their weaknesses.