Brownstone Institute Articles ⋆ Brownstone Institute

False Knowledge is Our Fool’s Gold

Bruce W. Davidson / May 2, 2024 / History, Philosophy / 6 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

Many others, including Brownstone writers, have met with far worse treatment than that, including threats, insults, punishments, and the loss of jobs for sharing helpful information. Understandably, it is hard to admit that one has been ignorant or duped. However, the acquisition and propagation of real knowledge is immensely preferable to a pandemic of ignorance, especially when the ignorance may have very dire consequences.

False Knowledge is Our Fool’s Gold Read More »

The Four Sins of ‘Thawteffery’

Daniel Klein / May 1, 2024 / Censorship, Government, Philosophy / 5 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

Thawteffery is the wicked management of thought, election-to-election, by wicked people for wicked purposes. I speak of the wicked as forming “the junta,” even though the conspiracy may be rather spontaneous. We are talking about some amalgam of a wicked faction, the Deep State, the administrative state, the swamp, the blob, and so on. It has become clear that the CIA and other intel agencies, and the Left Pole, are central in the junta.

The Four Sins of ‘Thawteffery’ Read More »

Illusions in Vaccine Effectiveness

Eyal Shahar / May 1, 2024 / Pharma, Vaccines / 6 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

The pseudo-effectiveness of Covid vaccines against death from unrelated causes is not a new observation. The same kind of pseudo-effectiveness was discovered long ago for the flu vaccines. It is called the “healthy vaccinee effect.” For various reasons, unrelated to the vaccines, people who are vaccinated have better background health (on average) than people who are not, and therefore, they are less likely to die from “anything,” including flu and Covid. Vaccinated or not, they would have had lower Covid mortality than their unvaccinated counterparts.

Illusions in Vaccine Effectiveness Read More »

Wuhan’s Unsolved Question

Will Jones / May 1, 2024 / Government, History / 5 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

The apparent cluelessness of the Chinese Government until the sequence was published, and the abrupt switch afterwards to something that looks a lot like a biosecurity response, indicates the Chinese Government may have been alerted to the leak only after the sequence was published. This is consistent with, and even suggestive of, an American origin with the EcoHealth Alliance crowd, via Linfa and Dani.

Wuhan’s Unsolved Question Read More »

WHO Amendments Revisited

Tom Jefferson,

Carl Heneghan / April 30, 2024 / Government, Public Health, Vaccines / 4 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

We regret to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that we are currently in a public health emergency of international concern. At least three of the conditions are currently met by…rhinovirus and parainfluenza virus. So get ready for another round of lockdowns. But perhaps not.

WHO Amendments Revisited Read More »

The Ruination of Plane Travel

Jeffrey A. Tucker / April 30, 2024 / Society, Technology / 7 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

It’s remarkable to consider that the high point of affordable, reliable, and convenient travel was more than 25 years ago. It’s been in decline ever since. All of it makes me long for a good solid train or boat trip, which we should all do before they get around to ruining those, too.

The Ruination of Plane Travel Read More »

The Smoking Gun in Wuhan

Robert Kogon / April 30, 2024 / History, Vaccines / 7 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

Theories of a lab origin of SARS-CoV-2 have largely focused on the presence in the genome of the famous furin cleavage site. Less attention has been paid to other anomalies and, in particular, the presence of the so-called HIV inserts first flagged by the Indian research team Pradhan et al. in late January 2020 and quickly dismissed as untenable conspiracy-mongering.

The Smoking Gun in Wuhan Read More »

The Black Hole of Public Broadcasting

Mark Oshinskie / April 29, 2024 / Media, Public Health / 9 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

But these two factions are very well-capitalized. Pharma can bankroll private and public media outlets in perpetuity. And taxpayers will continue to subsidize public TV and radio. And NPR and PBS pledge drive pitch-people will repeatedly tell gullible prospective donors how important it is to support “independent” media that keeps them well-misinformed.

The Black Hole of Public Broadcasting Read More »

Their Victory is Not Set in Stone

el gato malo / April 29, 2024 / Censorship, Government / 6 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

They do it because it works. They do it by relentless increment. They disorient, they frighten, then they take. When you wake up and push back, they give a little back, slide into the background, and wait for you to calm down. But you never get back 90% of what was usurped and it just normalizes such takings for next time. And there is always a next time.

Their Victory is Not Set in Stone Read More »

Renaissance Man Reborn

Charles Krblich / April 29, 2024 / Philosophy, Society / 6 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

Specialization is often a deception. Years of training, education, and study easily ensnare the mind into an arrogance built on the precipice of expertise. However, without continued study of other areas in which one is merely an apprentice or a novice, the mind’s sleuthing abilities become dulled. Worse, because of the status an expert tends to hold, others will project that expertise onto areas the expert has no knowledge — even when the expert will directly contradict that idea.

Renaissance Man Reborn Read More »

The New IHR Changes Are Merely Cosmetic

David Bell,

Thi Thuy Van Dinh / April 28, 2024 / Government, Law, Public Health / 18 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

The draft of the IHR amendments and an accompanying draft Pandemic Agreement are both still under negotiation a month short of the intended vote at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in late May. Together, they reflect a sea change in international public health over the past two decades. They aim to further centralize control of public health policy within the WHO.

The New IHR Changes Are Merely Cosmetic Read More »

The Face Behind Australia’s Censorship Push

Rebekah Barnett,

Andrew Lowenthal / April 27, 2024 / Censorship, Law, Technology / 9 minute read

SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

To some, Inman Grant is a hero, protecting children from online abuse, ridding the internet of revenge porn, and breaking new ground in leading a globally coordinated response to the problem of online hate. To others she is an e-Karen, a Censorship Commissar with a personal vendetta against Elon Musk, cynically exploiting multiple tragedies to lead a bureaucratic power grab and censor the speech of everyday citizens, both in Australia and globally. Both may be true.

The Face Behind Australia’s Censorship Push Read More »