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Blindsight is 2020: Reflections on Covid Policies from Dissident Scientists, Philosophers, Artists, and More Kindle Edition
Did the Covid-19 lockdowns and mandates serve society’s best interests? Science alone can’t answer the question. Philosophers have important things to say about it. So do psychologists, economists, novelists, and lawyers.
The 46 thinkers showcased in this book, drawn from a variety of disciplines and political persuasions, agree on one thing: the policies crossed the line and the world lost its way. Some are internationally famous, others merely brilliant. Together, they hone in on the social and ethical breaches of the Covid era, such as emotional manipulation, disregard for civil liberties, and a stubborn refusal to consider the harms of freezing society.
The author also recounts her own efforts to make sense of the Covid landscape, from Zoom psychotherapy to a visit to lockdown-free Sweden. The book challenges us to survey the damage of the Covid-19 policies from diverse angles, its voices offering fresh perspectives on the greatest social upheaval in modern history.
“An elegant and beautiful writer." ~ Julie Ponesse, Chair, Ethics and Law Committee, Canadian Covid Care Alliance, former philosophy professor at the University of Western Ontario
“Really nicely written.” ~ David Bell, Executive Committee, PANDATA, former coordinator of the WHO’s malaria diagnostics strategy
“A wonderful summary of complex ideas, with a beautiful personal tone.” ~ Zubin Damania, assistant professor of medicine, University of Las Vegas, host of the Internet’s most popular medical show
“Honored to be included in this book.” ~ Aaron Kheriaty, Director, Program in Bioethics and American Democracy, Ethics and Public Policy Center
“A compelling blend of down-to-earth storytelling and journalistic chops, and a perfect launching point for reflecting on the fallout of the pandemic response. Bauer collects the voices of a wide range of insightful people who should have been part of the conversation about how to manage Covid.” ~ Yvon Wang, associate professor of history, University of Toronto
“This is great.” ~ Jenin Younes, Litigation Counsel, New Civil Liberties Alliance
“A well-written account exploring important questions about the pandemic.” ~ Zeb Jamrozik, bioethicist, Monash Bioethics Centre & University of Oxford
"Many of the people featured in this book have had their views and values caricatured in media coverage of Covid policy. Gabrielle Bauer captures them with respect, accuracy and nuance as a basis for properly informed debate." ~ Robert Dingwall, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Nottingham University
“I especially empathized with the author's feelings during the anti-lockdown demonstrations.” ~ Ehud Qimron, Professor, Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Tel Aviv University
“A superb read.” ~ Sanjeev Sabhlok, economist, Executive Director, India Policy Institute
“Flattered and honored to be part of the book.” ~ Lucy McBride, internist and mental health advocate, Washington, DC
“Thank you for all the work you are doing.” ~ Robert Freudenthal, psychiatrist, London NHS Mental Health Services
- Print length322 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJanuary 20, 2023
- File size7049 KB
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Product details
- ASIN : B0BSS6MY8K
- Publisher : Brownstone Institute (January 20, 2023)
- Publication date : January 20, 2023
- Language : English
- File size : 7049 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 322 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #810,244 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #984 in Social Philosophy
- #1,160 in Ethics & Morality
- #3,981 in Philosophy of Ethics & Morality
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Medical & health writer, winner of 6 national awards for health articles. Author of 3 books including award-winning Tokyo, My Everest. Live in Toronto, enjoy travelling & stand-up paddling on Lake Ontario. Left part of my heart in Florianopolis, Brazil.
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Thought Police -- overly busy with our bodies, literal busybodies -- shuttered playgrounds, tennis courts: keeping sandy beaches empty of people and skate parks filled with sand. Remember? Gabrielle Bauer does and lets us "never forget". Her resulting work, "Blindsight is 2020" is multidimensional: reaching out to philosophers, scientists, artists and others' views of the pandemic – better to understand it, deal with it, and fight it.
Ms. Bauer refused merely and blindly to "Follow The Science" (sic) when it was distorted, censored, filtered, and forced -- evoking Eyeless in Gaza and Pilgrim's Progress: writer's journeys for solidity, truth; intellectual and spiritual freedom amidst "lockdown" – a term previously used only for prison populations.
Lockdowns (again thankfully) pale in comparison to "The Gulag Archipelago", but Ms. Bauer is our Solzhenitsyn: drawing upon her own personal sensibilities and then discovering outside resources , interviewing, discussing, curating. This book is the result and it is a genuine intellectual tour de force.
[From "Blindsight is 2020"]:
"The restrictions dehumanized people "to the point that many no longer wanted to live."
Not only did we rob Peter to pay Paul, but in many cases Paul didn't even want our money. Why did the policymakers not anticipate any of this? Should it not be obvious that shutting down society can lead to great harm? "
and "
• A significant % of people thoroughly enjoy being subjugated.
• When sufficiently frightened, most people will not only accept authoritarianism, but demand it.
• Humans can be trained and conditioned relatively quickly and easily to significantly alter their behaviors.
• Hedonic adaptation occurs in both directions, and once inertia sets in, it is diffcult to get people back to
"normal."
There we have it, folks: a BDSM analysis of the pandemic "
Bravo Gabrielle Bauer – and publisher Brownstone.org's Jeffrey Tucker for chronicling. Herein is the genuine "antidote" against similar potential future overreach.
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2023
Thought Police -- overly busy with our bodies, literal busybodies -- shuttered playgrounds, tennis courts: keeping sandy beaches empty of people and skate parks filled with sand. Remember? Gabrielle Bauer does and lets us "never forget". Her resulting work, "Blindsight is 2020" is multidimensional: reaching out to philosophers, scientists, artists and others' views of the pandemic – better to understand it, deal with it, and fight it.
Ms. Bauer refused merely and blindly to "Follow The Science" (sic) when it was distorted, censored, filtered, and forced -- evoking Eyeless in Gaza and Pilgrim's Progress: writer's journeys for solidity, truth; intellectual and spiritual freedom amidst "lockdown" – a term previously used only for prison populations.
Lockdowns (again thankfully) pale in comparison to "The Gulag Archipelago", but Ms. Bauer is our Solzhenitsyn: drawing upon her own personal sensibilities and then discovering outside resources , interviewing, discussing, curating. This book is the result and it is a genuine intellectual tour de force.
[From "Blindsight is 2020"]:
"The restrictions dehumanized people "to the point that many no longer wanted to live."
Not only did we rob Peter to pay Paul, but in many cases Paul didn't even want our money. Why did the policymakers not anticipate any of this? Should it not be obvious that shutting down society can lead to great harm? "
and "
• A significant % of people thoroughly enjoy being subjugated.
• When sufficiently frightened, most people will not only accept authoritarianism, but demand it.
• Humans can be trained and conditioned relatively quickly and easily to significantly alter their behaviors.
• Hedonic adaptation occurs in both directions, and once inertia sets in, it is diffcult to get people back to
"normal."
There we have it, folks: a BDSM analysis of the pandemic "
Bravo Gabrielle Bauer – and publisher Brownstone.org's Jeffrey Tucker for chronicling. Herein is the genuine "antidote" against similar potential future overreach.
Bauer is a very skillful aggregator who displays excellent judgment about what's interesting; consequently, the whole book is. She seamlessly integrates others' perspectives statements with her own, sane, anecdotal and appropriately mournful, take on the past three years. Her writing style is, at once, colloquial, colorful, contemplative and concise.
The author includes an excruciatingly painful chapter comprising desperate and haunting Internet messages from those under-40 who were emotionally and spiritually crushed by the mitigation madness.
Readers will be rewarded throughout for investing their time in this crisply presented, grounded thinkpiece. Unfortunately, those who would benefit most from reading it will refuse to even crack the cover.
As Covid and its associated policies fade into the background, this book helps deal with the aftermath of the myriad effects:fractured friendships, lost learning, physical and mental health devastation and more.
Top reviews from other countries
This book should be studied for decades to come, in hopes that we can respond to crises in more humane ways.