Why do highly educated people score worse than chimpanzees on fact based questions about the world?

This month’s book of the month -?Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World, and Why Things Are Better Than You Think?- is a fascinating read.?

The basic premise is this…?We have a lower factual understanding of the world around us. And the more educated you are… the more you are likely to be inaccurate.

Here are some interesting takeaways:

• Chimpanzees will score better than humans on a?test of 13 fact-based questions?that were used to evaluate the status of the world.
• The more educated you are the more you are likely you are to be wrong on many issues… especially that test!
• Even though I’ve kind of ruined it for you (if you go to take the test now) you will still be shocked by many answers.
• Much of what we are taught is based on out of date information.?
• Few people are mentally agile enough to update old dogmatic positions.
• We process numbers very poorly… especially large numbers.
• There are ten ways in which we assess the world around us - and especially numbers - improperly.
• There is no room for facts when our mind is occupied by fear?- and we tend to let the nature of the fear overrule the statistical significance in our real lives.
• And much more… a great book!

Book of the Month

It’s only March but this may turn out to be my favorite book of the year.?

In a time where the world seems upside down, everything appears to be devolving and nothing makes sense… perhaps our perspectives and our basic understanding is skewed.

Find it Here

This is one of the most important quotes in all of human history… definitely a top 10. Much of our understanding of the world is skewed less by external factors and more by internal factors; most notably our assumptions and cognitive biases.?

We like to blame Fake News, Social Media Overlords, and Russian tampering on the faulty thinking of those other people -?they?and?them that just don’t understand. And while these factors may contribute to points of view that frustrate you, the most profound influence is hidden within our own brains.

When the world doesn't make sense, dig deeper into the many ways in which our own brains can deceive us. Take a peek into my take on this issue in this presentation I gave a few years ago.

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• TLP295: The Power of Clarity Is a Gateway to Huge Opportunities
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• TLP297: The Four-Day Workweek
• TLP298: Imposter Syndrome – Make It, Don’t Fake It