Statistical Numeracy

I’ve heard many people make the argument that our lifespans have increased and people thousands of years ago died in their twenties.

This shows a lack of understanding of statistics. The average age of death was that low because infant mortality was much higher. If you survived into childhood, the average age of death was not much lower than now.

But I hear so many people use “ancient people died in their twenties” as an assumption in their arguments. When I hear this, I immediately discount the speaker as a serious person. They are either intellectually dishonest, incurious, or lacking in logic.