In February 2021, Dr. Zeena Shelal’s husband, Sam, was diagnosed with COVID-19. His condition soon deteriorated and in mid-February he was admitted to the hospital. Over the next two weeks, Sam’s condition grew worse. Zeena was told that his condition was critical and that Sam might not survive. On March 9, Sam was discharged from the hospital. Sam’s recovery was remarkable. Perhaps more remarkable is the story behind it.
When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he was rescinding the state’s face mask mandate and business occupancy limits effective on March 10, he was widely criticized. President Biden said the decision was “Neanderthal thinking.” Anthony Fauci, the top COVID-19 advisor to both Trump and Biden, called the move “really quite risky.” The chairman of…
When deciding on a course of action, we must consider all of the known and relevant facts. We mustn’t consider the issue in isolation. We must consider the full context. This is true for an individual and it is true for a society. Considering the full context includes looking beyond the immediate moment. It means…
Property rights suffered unprecedented attacks in 2020. These attacks came from a variety of sources and took many different forms. Virtually nobody was spared from the destructive consequences. The assault was started by local and state governments when they restricted our freedom to produce and trade. Businesses were forced to close, and many will never…
Government officials frequently tell us that they are “following the science.” While this may make their decisions seem objective, philosopher Ben Bayer argues that the specialized science–including medicine–don’t settle questions of value. Only the science of morality does that. If we are to move forward, we need leaders who are willing to guide their decisions…
A growing number of European countries are requiring anyone going into public to be vaccinated. Switzerland, for example, prohibits the unvaccinated from eating in restaurants, attending concerts, or going to the gym. Austria will make vaccination mandatory on February 1. These measures have broad public support. The vaccinated majority sees the unvaccinated minority as an…
In a long article published in early June, the New York Times details a long series of mistakes made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the coronavirus pandemic. The C.D.C., long considered the world’s premier health agency, made early testing mistakes that contributed to a cascade of problems that persist today as…