Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Episode 3

Episode 3 of 5

Professor Hans Rosling suggests that a sense of 'destiny' can stop us from seeing the world as it really is.

Reflecting that a sense of 'destiny' can stop us from seeing the world as it really is, Hans Rosling suggests strategies for sticking to the facts.

Professor Hans Rosling was 'the man in whose hands data sings'. He was dubbed 'a true inspiration' by Bill Gates and became a viral celebrity thanks to his popular TED talks which broke down the statistics behind global health and economics.

Before his death in 2017 Rosling spent years asking global audiences simple questions about basic trends. How widespread is extreme poverty? What is life expectancy today? How many children in the world have been vaccinated? He quizzed everyone from medics to lecturers, bankers, political decision makers - even Nobel Laureates. And the results were always the same.

"Everyone seems to get the world not only devastatingly wrong, but systematically wrong. By which I mean, that these test results are worse than random. They are worse than the results I would get if the people answering my questions had no knowledge at all."

Identifying key evolutionary instincts that prevent us from seeing the world as it really is, Rosling asks us to fundamentally shift our view of the world - but we have an engaging and entertaining guide on our journey.

Abridged by Anna Magnusson
Read by Adrian Rawlins
Producer Eilidh McCreadie.

15 minutes

Last on

Thu 5 Apr 2018 00:30

Credits

Role Contributor
Reader Adrian Rawlins
Author Hans Rosling
Abridger Anna Magnusson
Producer Eilidh McCreadie

Broadcasts

  • Wed 4 Apr 2018 09:45
  • Thu 5 Apr 2018 00:30

Listen to more Audio Books

Listen to more Audio Books

Including My Sister The Serial Killer, Queenie, The Flatshare and more.

Opening Lines

Opening Lines

John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

Sample our books and authors Clip Collection

Interviews, previews and reviews

Subscribe to the Short stories podcast

Featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.

Finding Your Story

Finding Your Story

Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?

±«Óãtv Arts: Books

Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.