Asking big questions about the world is easy. How many people live below the poverty line? How many girls go to school? Why is the global population increasing? How much money do you need to live a happy life?

But answering them ‘factfully’ is hard. So hard in fact, that because of our internal biases we get them wrong more often than not.

In their new book Factfulness, the late, great Professor Hans Rosling, together with his son and daughter-in-law Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund offer a radical new explanation of why we so often make these mistakes. Anna will reveal the 10 instincts that distort our perspective and outline why when we think about the world, we need to stop considering our feelings and start considering the facts.

When we don't know the answer to something we start guessing, and when we start guessing we do it in pretty systematic ways that usually are incorrect.

Anna Rosling Rönnlund

Chaired by Ann Mossop, Director of the UNSW Centre for Ideas.

This conversation was in partnership with Auckland Writers Festival, Byron Writers Festival and State Library of Queensland. 

Photo credit: Prudence Upton