Factfulness
An informative though a bit preachy book about the improvements in global health and wealth during the last few decades. It reminded me of a great article by Johan Norberg, which I recommend reading rather than this book.
It gives some good advice on how to avoid some common fallacies when we think about our world in general, and shows how things have vastly improved since the time we have learnt about them in school. Yet with all the points made, I would still argue that the improvements demonstrated are only numbers, and that the subjective human experience is no better or worse than ever.
Yet here’s the paradox: the image of a dangerous world has never been broadcast more effectively than it is now, while the world has never been less violent and more safe.
More news does not equal more suffering. More bad news is sometimes due to better surveillance of suffering, not a worsening world.
Good news is not news. Good news is almost never reported. So news is almost always bad.
Beware of vivid examples. Vivid images are easier to recall but they might be the exception rather than the rule.
