"Possibilism" is a good way to think about the world: weighing what paths are opened by changes in scientific knowledge or human societies and what paths are bl

"Possibilism" is a good way to think about the world: weighing what paths are opened by changes in scientific knowledge or human societies and what paths are blocked, but refusing to stay anchored to a conclusion just because it was true at one particular time in the past. It's unfortunate that "realist" has connotations of cynicism, because Rosling is a good realist in that he is more willing to discard conclusions than data.