People are correct to feel that a comfortable sense of subjectivity is being shaken. I understand this feeling, but also recognize that the situation is more complex than it appears. Observing that continuing new cases in rich Western countries are concentrated among those still unvaccinated (by choice or by circumstance), it is impossible not to feel, at this moment, that our societies are being held hostage by a populist politics of obstinate stupidity. At the same time, as we look into the streets and watch a motley coalition drawn from traditional Left and Right protesting not just these measures but even the efficacy of vaccines themselves, it is clear that the political problem is not just a matter of policy but also of culture. It is true that excruciating extended lockdowns and measures such as vaccine passports would likely not be necessary had governing responses been better prepared. Unfortunately, this notion is not necessarily unanimous. However, the only thing more foolish than some of our ill-fated responses to the pandemic would be to refuse to learn any lessons from it. As the author of a book on “post-pandemic politics” I am crucially aware of the aspirational quality of that term. We may not yet be able to refer to the pandemic in the past tense. (For the video record of the speech please click here). What the Pandemic Should Tell Us About The Biological Reality of Society
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