Nicholas Christakis from Yale, a Yale physician and sociologist, has released a new paperback edition to his authoritative book. Apollo’s Arrow – The Enduring and Profound Impact of Coronavirus On Our Lives (Little Brown Spark)
Christakis states, “A plague such as this one has been considered a national security risk by right-winging and left-wing governments for many years.” But I didn’t see anything to help us. Politicians and pundits who are more concerned with spreading misinformation than they are in science have spread it. Christakis believes that public debate is the best way to move forward. This November There are reasonsChristakis spoke to Nick Gillespie from NBC.
Q: The reason you wrote this book? Apollo’s Arrow?
Q: What was your goal? To help people see the origins of this pandemic and what our future plans are. The book’s most important idea is the notion that everybody has and that our lives are so strange that it seems unnatural. However, it is neither one of these things. Our heritage includes plagues. They are found in the Bible. These are the Biblical. IliadThe oldest Western literary work, ‘The Oldest Work,’ begins with a Plague. They are in Shakespeare. They are in Cervantes. Let me summarize. Plagues are not new to the human species. They’re only new to us. Although we think this is crazy, it really isn’t.
Q: What is the structure of pandemics? Which script has the COVID-19 pandemic been following?
A: It’s not something I would say All pandemics follow a script, but I would say all Respiratory pandemics, which are a subtype. Our records on pandemics go back to thousands of years. Particularly for the current era of respiratory pandemics, there are decent records that go back to 300 years back and excellent records back to 100 years. All of these data can be used to divide the respiratory pandemic into three distinct periods. This is when we experience the disease’s biological and epidemiological effects. In 2022 the virus will be eradicated in all 50 states, but eventually worldwide. This phase is all about recovering from economic, clinical and psychological aftershocks. In 2024, approximately, the transition to post-pandemic will occur. It will be a bit like the Roaring ’20s in the 20th century.
Q: How can misinformation be combated? There are many instances when the government spreads misinformation. It could be Fox News or MSNBC at other times, or even a politician. There will be both good and bad information in a free society.
Q: It is a risk we must take, unfortunately. It’s not possible for me to imagine anyone or any entity giving the authority to dictate what I say on the streets. It’s me who can decide who can hear, read, or speak. Certain types of power cannot be exercised by government.
Private industry is a different story. This is a misconception, particularly on the right. Facebook is not a public company. They can ban Donald Trump if they so choose. Twitter can also say that they have decided certain types of misinformation about vaccines are unacceptable.
The public must also understand that scientists’ decisions can be changed by them.
This interview was condensed, edited for style and clarity. For a podcast version, subscribe to Nick Gillespie, The Reason Interview