^u^の備忘録

備忘録 印象深い日々の出来事や、気付き等を記す

Review of 'FACTFULNESS'

  • Background

 I decided to read English book since I reserved an exam of GMAT, which requires high English reading skills to achieve a good score, next March.

Also I wanted to choose academic or business books, because all the questions in GMAT test are relevant to either of them.

Then I picked up this book - FACTFULNESS written by a Swedish doctor, Hans Rosling- as a first book of my reading practice.

Actually this is quite popular among business people in Japan as well.

 

  • Summary of my review

Suprisingly I scored 6 out of 12 on a test in the first chapter. The test consists of 12 quizzes with three multiple choices.

According to the author, my score is good. That's because many experts or business leaders get a lower score in avarage than chimpanzees's score, 3 out of 10. The author explains that chimpanzees can score as much as people who pick up their answers randomly without looking questions and answer choices. He also explains that those who are recognisesd as exports or business leaders tend to see the world too negatively.

Though I was able to score higher than chimpanzees, I got suprised the fact descibed in the book. I realised that I had a lot of biases for/against some social problems unconciously.

In addition to that, since the statements in the book are based on the fact as well as the author's opinions sound neutral, I felt that my knowledges and point of view have been updated correctly while reducing my biases.

 

  • Points which surprised/inspired me

In all low-income countries accross the world today, how many girls finish primary school? Correct answer:60%

There are two billion children in the world today, aged 0 to 15 years old. How many children will there be in the year 2100 according to the United Nations? Correct answer:2 billion children

How many of the world's one-year-old children today have been vaccinated against some disease? Correct answer: 80% 

Worldwide, 30-year-old men have spent 10 years in school, on avarage. How many years have women of the same age spent in school? Correct answer: 9 years 

 

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

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