HSR TecBEC: Factfulness
Questions and answers to the book "Factfulness" by Hans Rosling.
Questions and answers to the book "Factfulness" by Hans Rosling.
Kartei Details
| Karten | 75 |
|---|---|
| Sprache | English |
| Kategorie | Englisch |
| Stufe | Universität |
| Erstellt / Aktualisiert | 29.06.2020 / 22.08.2020 |
| Weblink |
https://card2brain.ch/box/20200629_hsr_tecbec_factfulness
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| Einbinden |
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What was the author’s dream as a child? (p. 1)
To become a sword swallower
What did he end up studying? (p. 1)
Medicine
How does the author assue that the reader will perform better in the test by the end of the book?
He introduces a simple set of thinking tools
What happened in 2015 at the World Economic Forum in Davos? (p. 12)
Even this top international audience were getting basic facts about the world wrong.
Why was the dramatic worldview so persistent? (p. 12-17)
We all have the dramatic worldview which is based on the way our brains work. The human brain is a product of millions of years of evolution, relying on instincts for survical and craving for drama.
What is the benefit of a fact-based world view?
We make better decsions, are aware of real dangers and possibilities, and are no longer stressed about the wrong things (p 16)
What is the mega misconception about the world? (p. 21)
That the world is devided in two - them versus us, the west and the rest.
What is wrong with this picture? (p. 28)
It is outdated. It belongs to 1965. 75% live in middle income countries today.
What are the four income levels? (p. 34-37)
- 1$ a day, 5 children, can't afford medical care
- 4$ a day, can buy medicine but this expense would throw you back to level 1
- 16$ a day, work 7 days a week, they have electricity
- over 64$ a day
How many people were on level 1 200 years ago? (p. 38)
86% of the world population was livng in extreme poverty.
What are the three warning signs that someone is telling an overdramatic gap story and thereby triggering the gap instinct? (p. 39)
- comparisons of averages (averages can mislead by hiding a big spread; comparisons of averages tend to hide the overlaps),
- extremes (can disguise that most people are in the middle)
- and the view from up there (people on level 4 tend to overlook the big differences between levels 1, 2 and 3 as they all look ‘poor’ from the perspective of level 1)
How does the author summarise Factfulness at the end of chapter 1? (p. 46)
- Recognise the gap,
- look for majority,
- beware of comparisons of acerages and extremes
How did the author escape death as a child? (p. 48)
Falling into a sewage ditch and being saves by his grandmother.
What do the majority of people think is happening to the world? (p. 51)
The world is bad and it is getting worse.
How many people lived in extreme poverty 20 years ago, in 1997, and what is this figure in 2017? (p. 53)
- 29% in 1997
- today it is 9%
What level was Sweden when the author was born in 1948? (p. 56)
Level 3, same as Egypt today.
What does Sweden's development (lifespan and income) over 200 years show? (p. 59)
Sweden has developed a lot over the last 200 years (just like most other countries have done or are doing).
Name osme og the 16 bad things in the world that are decreasing! (p. 60-61)
- Legal slavery
- oil spills
- HIV
- ...
Name some of the 16 good thins in the world that are increasing! (p. 62-63)
- New movies
- literacy
- child cancer survival
- mobile phones
- vaccination rates
How did locals react to the Swedish journalist and author Lasse Berg's report about poverty in India in the 1970's and comparing it to the 90's? (p. 66)
The could not believe that they made so much progress.
What is the problem of the media and activists? (p. 67)
We hear about more and more disasters and crime and get an illusion of constant deterioration, while the reality is the opposite (reduction in crime, fewer disasters).
What effect does increasing press freedom and improving technology have on our world perception? (p. 68)
People think crime rates are going up.
How can we control the negativity instincts? (p. 70-74)
- We should think of the world as a premature baby in an incubator (still needing care, but gradually improving).
- Expect bad news (as this is how the media work with their sensationalist stories) but be aware that they are not representative
- be aware that negative events are much more likely to be reported worldwide
- beware of 'rosy past' stories
What was the most frightening graph the author saw? (p. 75)
The graph showing cases of Ebola doubling.
What does the author mean by the world's population is not just increasing? (p. 77)
This implied that if nothing is odne, the population will keep on growing.
In fact, the world population will stop growing at 10 billion.
What comparison does the author make to help the reader understand the straigt line instinct? (p. 81)
His grandson's height.
What prediction does the UN make about the world population over the next few decades? (p. 82)
The curve will flatten out at somewhere between 10 and 12 billion.
What chart does Rosling refer to as the most dramatic in the book? (p. 87)
The average number of babies per woman from 1800 to today.
What is the fill up effect?
The children who already exist today will grow up and fill up the diagram.
What was the argument against Melinda and Bill Gates' philanthrophic foundation? (p. 91)
Saving poor children just increases the world population.
But in reality, eradicating extreme poverty leads to parents deciding to have fewer children.
What do trends tend to follow (if they don't follow straight lines)? (p. 100)
- S-bends
- slides
- humps
- doubling lines
What is his advice concerning lines (predictions for the future)? (p. 100)
Don't assume straight lines.
What story does Rosling tell about being a young doctor facing his first emergency? (p. 101-103)
What is the point of the story? (p. 103)
Nothing was as it appeared: the Russian was Swedish, war was peace, epileptic seizure was cooling.
Fear clouds or judgement. We do not see clearly when we are afraid.
What are the four things most people are afraid of? (p. 105)
- snakes
- spiders
- heights
- confined spaces
What was the midwife's wish in order to make her work easier? (p. 106)
A flashlight.
What was the outcome of the Chicago convention for flight authorities in 1944? (p. 113)
More understanding about risks and improved safety procedures.
What does Rosling say has filly understood the power of fear instinct? (p. 118)
Terrorists.
What view of the world does Wikipedia present? (p. 119)
A distorted worldview.
What does the book tell us about terrorism at Level 4? (p. 120)
It is decreasing.
How can we control the fear instinct? (p. 125)
Calculate the risks (risk equals danger multipied by exposure).
