Factfulness summary
Chapter 1: The Gap Instinct
● Misconception: “The World Is Divided In Two”
→ Irresistible temptation to divide things in 2 conflicting groups with an
imagined gap (with huge chasm of injustice in between)
→ Creates a certain image: rich vs poor
EXAMPLE: Gap between “West” and “rest”, gap between “developed” and “developing”
countries*
- we and them
* Was true in 1965, not now. However we still believe/ are stuck with the outdated
information or idea about the rest of the world
→ Stopt dividing the world into 2 groups
4 income levels
Def: Equally simple but more relevant and useful way of dividing up the world
- Each figure represents 1 billion people: levels are expressed in terms of $ income per
day
- Levels = most important part for fact-based framework
- 1 of the simple think tools promised in the book
= computer game, everybody wants to move upwards from level 1 to 2 and upwards
,LEVEL 1: $1-$2 per day
● Difficult water access
● Transport is difficult
● Cooking on indoor fire → Sickness (no antibiotics → may cause death)
LEVEL 2: $2-$8 per day
● You can buy things like a bike that make transport easier → you save time
● You can buy food that you did not grow and afford chickens
● Save up for gas stove and matresses
● Life is much better but still really uncertain → 1 sickness = back to level 1
LEVEL 3: $8-$32 per day
● Multiple jobs
● A lot of savings → life is more certain
● Cold water tap & fridge → different dishes each day
● motorcycle → travel to a better paying job
LEVEL 4:$32-$∞ per day
● Good education
● Been on an airplane vacation
● Hot & cold water indoors
● These people struggle hard not to misunderstand the reality of the other 6 billion
people
→ Often it takes several generations for a family to move from level 1 to level 4
→ Very unusual that 1 person alone manages to move through several levels
Why is it so hard to change the misconception between the rich and the poor?
→ Humans have a strong dramatic instinct
→ Dividing the world in 2 is simple and intuitive (it implies conflict so also dramatic)
How to control The Gap Instinct*
→ 3 ways to know when someone (or you yourself) is telling you an overdramatic gap story
1. Comparisons of averages
- Averages = quick way to convey information BUT also a simplification of information
→ They could hide a spread (range of different number) in 1 number → sometimes gaps are
not really there
, EXAMPLE:
→It is what the numbers
say but in what sense?
→ Same numbers give a
very different expression
→ Gap is almost gone
→ Better sense of the
reality behind the
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn numbers
→ They overlap = their is
no gap!
→ More accurate picture
by digging a little
deeper
* Gap stories can reflect reality: f.a. historical events such as apartheid
2. Comparisons of extremes
- humans = are naturally drawn to extreme examples
- South Sudan famine Vs our own comfortable place/ Terroristic places Vs Sweden….
→ effective for triggering our gap instinct
reality? Majority is mostly in the middle
→ In all groups, there are some at the top and bottom, sometimes the difference is
extremely unfair but even then the majority is usually somewhere in between
Chapter 1: The Gap Instinct
● Misconception: “The World Is Divided In Two”
→ Irresistible temptation to divide things in 2 conflicting groups with an
imagined gap (with huge chasm of injustice in between)
→ Creates a certain image: rich vs poor
EXAMPLE: Gap between “West” and “rest”, gap between “developed” and “developing”
countries*
- we and them
* Was true in 1965, not now. However we still believe/ are stuck with the outdated
information or idea about the rest of the world
→ Stopt dividing the world into 2 groups
4 income levels
Def: Equally simple but more relevant and useful way of dividing up the world
- Each figure represents 1 billion people: levels are expressed in terms of $ income per
day
- Levels = most important part for fact-based framework
- 1 of the simple think tools promised in the book
= computer game, everybody wants to move upwards from level 1 to 2 and upwards
,LEVEL 1: $1-$2 per day
● Difficult water access
● Transport is difficult
● Cooking on indoor fire → Sickness (no antibiotics → may cause death)
LEVEL 2: $2-$8 per day
● You can buy things like a bike that make transport easier → you save time
● You can buy food that you did not grow and afford chickens
● Save up for gas stove and matresses
● Life is much better but still really uncertain → 1 sickness = back to level 1
LEVEL 3: $8-$32 per day
● Multiple jobs
● A lot of savings → life is more certain
● Cold water tap & fridge → different dishes each day
● motorcycle → travel to a better paying job
LEVEL 4:$32-$∞ per day
● Good education
● Been on an airplane vacation
● Hot & cold water indoors
● These people struggle hard not to misunderstand the reality of the other 6 billion
people
→ Often it takes several generations for a family to move from level 1 to level 4
→ Very unusual that 1 person alone manages to move through several levels
Why is it so hard to change the misconception between the rich and the poor?
→ Humans have a strong dramatic instinct
→ Dividing the world in 2 is simple and intuitive (it implies conflict so also dramatic)
How to control The Gap Instinct*
→ 3 ways to know when someone (or you yourself) is telling you an overdramatic gap story
1. Comparisons of averages
- Averages = quick way to convey information BUT also a simplification of information
→ They could hide a spread (range of different number) in 1 number → sometimes gaps are
not really there
, EXAMPLE:
→It is what the numbers
say but in what sense?
→ Same numbers give a
very different expression
→ Gap is almost gone
→ Better sense of the
reality behind the
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn numbers
→ They overlap = their is
no gap!
→ More accurate picture
by digging a little
deeper
* Gap stories can reflect reality: f.a. historical events such as apartheid
2. Comparisons of extremes
- humans = are naturally drawn to extreme examples
- South Sudan famine Vs our own comfortable place/ Terroristic places Vs Sweden….
→ effective for triggering our gap instinct
reality? Majority is mostly in the middle
→ In all groups, there are some at the top and bottom, sometimes the difference is
extremely unfair but even then the majority is usually somewhere in between
