Numbers Don’t Lie: 71 Things You Need to Know About the World by Vaclav Smil. Vaclav a Czech-Canadian scientist and policy analyst. He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg Canada.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the 2000 recipient of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology.
In addition, Vaclav was named by Foreign Policy magazine to its 2010 list of FP Top 100 Global Thinkers. In 2013, he was appointed by the Governor General to the Order of Canada. Finally, he was the 2013 EADS Distinguished Visitor at the American Academy in Berlin.
I read his book How the World Really Works late last year, enjoying his writing and his messages. However, downstream many people do not understand or they unknowingly misinterpret the analytics or statistical outcomes. To get an accurate view of the world, Vaclav is emphasizing that creators of these number really must focus on delivering the correct context to their reporting.
In many instances the demands of today’s post pandemic world certainly requires an understanding of science and statistics. More importantly, it requires effort. We must be willing to pay attention, looking beneath the surface to fully understand the material we are reading.
Data Misinterpretations
His approach in fact, is reviewing very common metrics and how they are received by the public. Vaclav then provides insights to how those metrics and statistics are understood, often revealing other outcomes missed interpreted by media outlets. In addition, he used popular topics including environmental issues, including greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable energy, transportation, and food production.
Addressing popularly known topics
He is able to identify a breaking point: these commonly reported metrics (GDP, unemployment, population growth) used so often quoted by the media, yet are often a very generalization of the actual data.
In conclusion, Vaclav’s books are very intriguing and Numbers Don’ t Lie certainly will broadened your knowledge. I have learned a great amount in this book. Addressing misinformation Vaclav has an important mission.