Factfulness

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2018

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction-Chapter 1

Chapters 2-3

Chapters 4-5

Chapters 6-7

Chapters 8-9

Chapters 10-11

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Chapters 8-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 8 Summary: “The Single Perspective Instinct”

The single perspective instinct is the tendency for humans to prefer simple ideas because they provide a moment of clarity. While these simple ideas are easy for our brains to process, they cause us to believe everything can be answered with ease. From here, we believe a simple idea “beautifully explains, or is the beautiful solution for, lots of other things” (186). Things become either all good or all bad because thinking this way satisfies our craving for simple solutions. We construct facts and opinions for things we don’t fully understand, which leads to us being “blind to information that doesn’t fit your perspective” (186).

The single perspective instinct leads individuals to becoming fixated. Rosling describes this tendency as it applies to activists. Whether for women’s rights, endangered animals, or climate awareness, activists make great strides by playing up the severity of their cause. Doing so brings a sense of urgency to their case, but it also offers the idea that things are not improving. Fixating on the goal at the expense of recognizing progress can make people feel like their efforts are not having an impact.

To control the single perspective instinct, Rosling recommends familiarizing ourselves with beliefs that don’t match our own. We may be tempted to think we know everything because what we do know makes sense to us, but this point of view is limited, especially in the areas where we consider ourselves experts. Even experts are usually only experts in a very particular subject. Lastly, Rosling asserts that if something seems too simple to be true, it likely is.

Chapter 9 Summary: “The Blame Instinct”

When things go wrong, we naturally look for someone or something to blame. The blame instinct is “the instinct to find a clear, simple reason for why something bad has happened” (206). Humans naturally want to find causes and to assign responsibility for events. Once a cause is found and blame is placed, people stop looking for answers even if the blame has been misplaced. The same idea applies to positive outcomes. When things go well, people attribute success to one thing and then move on, even if the success has nothing to do with what received credit.

People are rarely to blame for failures. Rather, the systems in place fail, but the people take the blame. Rosling uses the example of journalists and the sensationalist media they produce to illustrate this system. Journalists are people, which means they have the same dramatic instincts as everyone else. Their jobs rely on the consumers who read their articles or watch their programs, and the system in place desires and rewards sensationalist stories. So, the news and journalists are not at fault for what makes the news. Rather, journalists only strive to keep their jobs, and to do so, they must produce the content consumers want. Consumers are, therefore, partially responsible; if they change what they want from the news, the journalists will change what gets reported, and the system itself will eventually change.

Systems, rather than individuals, hold responsibility for what happens. When something goes wrong, we should look to the system that allowed the negative outcome, rather than to a person upon whom we can place blame. Often, bad things are not done intentionally. Similarly, when something goes right, it is the result of a good system, rather than any one person’s positive actions.

Chapters 8-9 Analysis

The single perspective instinct and the blame instinct feed off one another. Blame is the single perspective of attributing responsibility to someone or something. Once blame is placed, we stop seeking answers because our single perspective on a given situation is satisfied, which has dangerous consequences. The same applies to the process of giving credit, which allows us to experience the world as a simple and accessible place.

In Chapter 9, Rosling debunks the idea that the news media is responsible for negativity, and, by extension, the negativity instinct. We, the consumers, crave drama, and the news delivers. The flaw is not in reporters or journalists. They are part of the greater system. The fault is not with us, the consumers, either, but our failure to realize the impact we can have upon our media drives the sensationalism forward. As with previous instincts and changes, Rosling points out that no drastic action is required. If we sought less dramatic news, the changing consumer desires would pressure the system and drama-based news will adapt or disappear. As Rosling outlines, no one single person holds responsibility for news. Rather, the system is faulty.

The blame instinct triggers the fear instinct. People don’t typically go around looking for ways to hurt others; however, since systems are more difficult to blame than people, we jump to believing individuals are out to get us. We filter out the idea that a system failed and choose to focus on a perceived threat. Fear activates, blinding us to reality. In reverse, fear also triggers blame. The news media system shows us the dramatic stories we crave, and it offers targets to blame for poor conditions that involve government leaders, terrorist groups, etc. When our dramatic instincts are triggered, we tend to agree with the media-placed blame and stop seeking reasons for why things are bad. The individuals are likely not to blame. Rather, the individuals continue to promote a flawed system, which causes a collapse in society somewhere. Fear and blame keep us from examining news stories and the systemic issues they cover up.