Suggested readings, 24 January 2021

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

Sam Bowman, “The eight biggest Covid-sceptic myths – and why they’re wrong.” 21 Jan, New Statesman.

"There has been a huge amount of misinformation during the pandemic. Much of it was unavoidable, especially at the start as we dealt with a new virus, but some myths are persisting a year into the pandemic."

Tom Chivers, “What Covid tests can we trust?” 20 Jan, UnHerd.

"One group of scientists thinks the widespread use of lateral-flow testing is the answer, and believe it can save lives and reboot society. The other thinks that it is little short of recklessness, that it could kill many more people that it saves."

Peter Singer, “The Ethics of Prioritizing COVID-19 Vaccination.” 19 Jan, Project Syndicate.

"Now that COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out, policymakers are wrestling with the question of how to distribute them quickly and equitably. There has been wide agreement that health workers should be vaccinated first, because they are needed to save the lives of those who are ill because of the virus. But deciding who should come next has spurred considerable debate."

Julian Savulescu, “It is unethical to keep those who have immunity locked down.” 22 Jan, Daily Telegraph.

"Endlessly repeating an outdated slogan is unforgivable now that the science has moved on.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."

Julian Baggini, “Trump’s boast reveals the complexities of war ethics.” 20 Jan, The Philosophical Inquirer.

"Trump may not have started any wars but he’s lit more fuses than any president in living memory. Has everyone forgotten how, before his ill-fated bromance with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, the world was waking up every day scared to hear that he had triggered a nuclear conflict on the Korean peninsula? Or how he repeatedly asked his military advisors why he couldn’t use nuclear weapons to swiftly take out enemies? His bombing of Iran nearly started another war."

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