FACTFULNESS
Are we really living in such terrible times? Is this an era where one shouldn’t bring children into the world? Has the world truly gone mad? Are we living in an age full of evil?
Well — what do you think about the following questions?
- How many people die due to wars?
- How many people die from diseases?
- How many diseases and epidemics have we eradicated through vaccination?
- What percentage of the world’s population suffers from hunger?
- What is the global life expectancy?
- How much has the number of protected natural areas (National Parks) increased?
- What percentage of women can vote?
- How many girls can attend school?
- What is the global literacy rate?
- What percentage of children survive cancer?
- How many endangered species have been saved?
- What percentage of the world has access to electricity?
- How many people die from natural disasters?
- How has the child marriage rate changed in the last 50 years?
- Is the global population really growing uncontrollably?
- How much has legal slavery decreased?
- How many children die each year?
- How many people die in plane crashes?
- How damaged is the ozone layer?
Swedish doctor Hans Rosling, after studying medicine and statistics at Uppsala University, pursued a degree in Public Health in India.
He then worked in countries like India, Mozambique, and Congo before returning to Sweden.
In Africa, Rosling conducted research on diseases such as Konzo and paralysis, particularly examining how hunger, nutrition, and living conditions influenced these diseases.
His research group focused on how diseases were linked to economic development, agriculture, hunger, and other health indicators.
Rosling also worked as a health advisor for the Karolinska Institute, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and other humanitarian organizations. He led collaborative research projects across Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, producing a comprehensive body of work based on facts and data in global health.
In his global bestseller “Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World — and Why Things Are Better Than You Think,” Rosling answers these questions with statistics and explains why our perception of the world is so often mistaken.
At the end of the book, Rosling identifies 5 real risks that could truly harm the world:
- Global pandemic
- Economic collapse
- World War III
- Climate change
- Hunger
Spoiler: Things are actually going quite well. Bill Gates isn’t implanting chips. The pandemic was far too simple and boring to be a Chinese conspiracy.
These common cognitive traps are: the Gap Instinct, Negativity Instinct, Straight Line Instinct, Fear Instinct, Size Instinct, Generalization Instinct, Destiny Instinct, Single Perspective Instinct, Blame Instinct, and Urgency Instinct.
Briefly explained:
Gap Instinct — the tendency to think in extremes: rich vs poor, male vs female, good vs bad, patriot vs traitor.
This is the easiest way for our brains to process information, which is why media and films constantly frame stories this way — it sells better.
Negativity Instinct — the tendency to focus on bad news.
If you reflect on your life, you’ll likely remember sad moments more vividly than happy ones. The media knows this too, which is why they bombard us with stories of terrorism, disease, famine, and war — despite statistics showing that we are living in the best period in human history.
Straight Line Instinct — the tendency to expect trends to continue linearly.
This was evident at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people misunderstood the exponential nature of viral spread. Similarly, we wrongly assume that global population growth will continue at the same rapid rate indefinitely — but projections show it will slow significantly.
Fear Instinct — exaggerating the likelihood of rare dangers.
Fear sells. We worry about plane crashes, terrorist attacks, snake bites — even though statistically these risks are very low.
Size Instinct — reacting emotionally to large numbers.
For example, reading that 5 million children died last year might seem shocking — but knowing that this number was 13 million in the 1990s and 20 million in the 1950s reveals significant progress.
Generalization Instinct — making sweeping assumptions.
For instance: “One Syrian refugee committed a crime, so all Syrians must be criminals.”
This is a clear example of faulty generalization.
Destiny Instinct — believing that certain people, countries, or cultures are destined to be a certain way.
Example: “Africans are starving.”
Single Perspective Instinct — thinking there’s only one solution to a problem.
For example: “We must produce everything ourselves to grow our economy,” or “The only way to stop violence is to impose the harshest penalties.”
Such thinking ignores alternative perspectives and complexity.
Blame Instinct — the urge to blame someone for bad outcomes.
It’s easier to blame the teacher for a poor test result, or “the deep state,” “foreign powers,” Bill Gates, or China for the world’s problems, than to confront reality.
Urgency Instinct — the greatest enemy of analytical thinking.
The belief that “it’s now or never” leads to rushed decisions without proper analysis.
Social media is a perfect example — we often react without fully understanding the situation.
In short: We are actually living in one of the best eras in human history, and the overall state of the world is quite good.
The more we recognize the facts and data, the more we can improve things.
Today, we have access to more information than ever before — but we are also bombarded with too much information, and our instincts don’t help us filter it properly.
The best thing we can do is take a deep breath and think critically.
Of course, we don’t always have time to analyze every piece of information in depth — so learning basic logic and critical thinking is essential.
The most important thing to teach your children, yourself, and your students is: critical thinking, statistics, and logic.
bahadirhancicek 
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