The main thing I want to say about Hans Rosling is that he, along with Nate Silver, opened my eyes to the power of statistics. While I agree with the statement, “You can prove anything with statistics”, I don't believe any position holds up when you start digging into them more deeply. Sometimes, astounding, inevitable and even anti intuitive conclusions can be made from them.
Here are two Hans Rosling lectures that made me re think many of my preconceptions about whats going on in the world.
The Best Stats You've Ever Seen
This first video Rosling challenges ideas like “poor countries have big families” and what “developing country” means.
Don't Panic – Hans Rosling Showing the Facts About Population
The second video Rosling shows the facts about population. Basic question: Why did population increase in Bangladesh while women had increasingly fewer children over time? No No No NO! Don't Switch Off! This video gives the answer!
Rest in peace Hans Rosling, who recently passed away. Many of us will be thinking about your ideas represented through big animated charts and over excited commentary for a long time to come!
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