Skip to main content

Suggested readings, 17 January 2021

Here are some interesting articles I've read over the past week I think are worth checking out.

Diarmaid Ferriter, “Efforts to avoid ‘public scandal’ created the greatest scandal of all.” 15 Jan, Irish Times. 
"It is so cruelly ironic that the concerted and co-ordinated efforts to avoid 'public scandal' created the greatest scandals of all."

"Back in 2015, no fascism expert would use the word to describe Trump. In October 2020, they were inching closer, but most dismissed the term as likely an exaggeration or distraction."

Greg Miller, “The enduring allure of conspiracies.” 14 Jan, Knowable Magazine. 
Are conspiracy theories more prevalent and influential today, or does it just seem that way?

Stuart Ritchie, “Do you know how Covid really spreads?” 15 Jan, UnHerd. 
"Endlessly repeating an outdated slogan is unforgivable now that the science has moved on. Airborne transmission isn’t an afterthought -- it might even be the main way the virus spreads. It’s time to break the inertia, and change the message altogether."

Stuart Ritchie, “Does vitamin D really help combat Covid-19?” 13 Jan, New Statesman. 
"Many more trials of vitamin D and Covid-19 are on the way, so we’ll get a more definitive answer soon. Until then, let’s lay off the overblown claims about near-magical substances and sinister conspiracies. It might feel unsatisfying but, as with so many parts of the coronavirus debate, the only sensible scientific view on vitamin D is one of uncertainty."

Christopher J. Snowdon, “Rise of the Coronavirus Cranks.” 16 Jan, Quillette. 
"Until the first vaccine arrived in December, COVID scepticism offered people a way out. If the dangers of the virus were being overhyped by fearmongers, and lockdowns were entirely ineffective, then societies could reopen secure in the knowledge that there was nothing that could be done to reduce the death toll (which would, in any case, be a fraction of what we were told). The comforting lie that trade-offs could be avoided has proved irresistible to those who have surrendered to confirmation bias and constructed a parallel and preferable version of reality."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Should We Use Neuroenhancement Drugs to Improve Relationships?

A version of this article was printed in  Humanism Ireland , July-August, Vol. 147 (2014)   L ove, it is fair to say, is probably the strongest emotion we can experience. It can come in many different forms:  love of one’s parent, sibling, or child. Though most people consider romantic relationships—which include companionship, sexual passion, intimacy, warmth, procreation and child-rearing—as the most significant component of one’s life; and it is probably the thing we find discussed more than anything else in novels, films and music. Committed romantic relationships tend to occur within the institution of marriage—something that is ubiquitous to most, if not all, cultures.   Indeed, relationships today, which are primarily love-driven, are not just confined to marriages, as many couples sustain relationships outside of wedlock. Being in a love-driven relationship is considered important for most people, as it contributes to happiness—something we a...
1 comment
Read more

Should we repeal the Eighth Amendment?

Ireland will have a referendum on whether abortion should be permitted on 25th May. A referendum has to be held in order to alter the constitution. In 1983 voters approved of the Eighth Amendment – which created a constitutional recognition that gives equal status to the unborn and the mother – but requests to have it repealed have been steadily increasing in the past number years. In January, the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar,  said   Ireland’s abortion laws are “too restrictive and need to be reformed”. If the amendment is repealed, the government may introduce legislation permitting unrestricted abortion up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. At present, terminations are only permissible when the life of the mother is at risk, and under law anyone who seeks an abortion could potentially face 14 years in prison. Opponents of abortion, to be sure, see this as a moral horror, but the 12-week limit being proposed is fairly similar   to abortion laws across Europe. Abort...
Post a Comment
Read more

The new Irish hate speech law will do more harm than good

The government of the Republic of Ireland is  currently proposing  a new hate speech law, as part of the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill, which would update the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989. It  is argued  the existing law, particularly on account of the presence of social media, is insufficient. The aim is to give more power to prosecutors in order to make the issuing of convictions easier. Under the current law, defendants can appeal their charges by proving they did not have the intention of transmitting hatred; however, the new legislation will consider defendants liable even if their actions were not intentional. You can read the rest of the article here .
Post a Comment
Read more