Reading Factfulness in Swedish
What the lesson covers
Factfulness is a best-selling book by Professor Hans Rosling, co-authored with his son Ola Rosling and daughter-in-law Anna Rosling Rönnlund. The book focuses on the common misconceptions people have about the world, particularly regarding global trends in health, wealth, and development. Using data and vivid storytelling, it argues that the world is often in better shape than people assume, promoting a fact-based worldview. Hans Rosling, a Swedish physician, academic, and public speaker, was known for his engaging presentations on global development. Through his work, he aimed to combat ignorance with accessible data and optimism, seeking a better understanding of global progress.
How the lesson starts
The opening of the lesson transcript. The rest is in the course, synced to the video.
Varför slår vi inte schimpanserna?
Why can't we beat the chimpanzees? This is the title of one of the chapters from Hans Rosling's book on Factfulness from 2018. It begins with the question: Hur kan så många ha fel om så mycket? Hur är det ens möjligt att de flesta människor presterar sämre än schimpanserna, sämre än slumpen?
How can so many people be wrong about so much? Now I'm going to stop at this first sentence. Hur kan så många, it doesn't actually say people in the Swedish text. It simply says, "how can so many," but it's implied in Swedish.
If you say, "how can so many
The video plays beside a transcript that follows it line by line. Swedish words are underlined; tap one and the video pauses, the meaning appears, and the word goes into your library. At the end there is a five-question quiz written from this exact lesson, and every word can be practised out loud.