Brownstone Journal

Articles, News, Research, and Commentary on public health, science, economics, & social theory

Filter posts by category

A Letter to Send to Venues that Exclude the Unvaccinated

By / / , / 3 minute read / Articles
SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

Vaccination is effective at preventing the vaccinated from suffering serious consequences from Covid. (And children naturally are at virtually no risk from Covid.) Therefore, those of your patrons who choose not to be vaccinated personally bear the costs of their choice without imposing any costs on those of your patrons who are vaccinated. So your requirement of vaccination is pointless.

A Letter to Send to Venues that Exclude the Unvaccinated Read Journal Article

Blinded by a Blizzard of Numbers: A Review of Spiegelhalter and Masters

By / / , / 7 minute read / Articles
SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

There is much to dislike in Spiegelhalter and Masters’ book on the plague year, but considering the partisan and authoritarian nonsense, garbage advice, and terrible statistical blunders we’ve grown used to, the book comes across as fairly balanced. They have some clear blind spots (vaccines, effectiveness of lockdowns, Vitamin D) but there are much worse things to read than Covid by Numbers. 

Blinded by a Blizzard of Numbers: A Review of Spiegelhalter and Masters Read Journal Article

Straight Talk about the Precautionary Principle

By / / , , / 5 minute read / Articles
SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

Whenever applied, the precautionary principle needs to be challenged and stand scrutiny, to help us make decisions when there is uncertainty, and the situation is in flux as is typical in a pandemic.  These alternatives emphasize seeking new facts, being rigorously honest about the evidence, being open to being wrong, adjusting our actions as we come to understand more, and communicating with trust, not fear. 

Straight Talk about the Precautionary Principle Read Journal Article

Sweden and Germany: No Deaths In Children Due to Covid

By / / , / 4 minute read / Articles
SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

The children should live normally, free, and if exposed to SARS-CoV-2 we can rest assured that in the vast majority of cases, they will have no to only mild symptoms while at the same time developing naturally acquired immunity, and harmlessly; an immunity that is definitely superior to that which might be caused by a vaccine.

Sweden and Germany: No Deaths In Children Due to Covid Read Journal Article

Medicine Should be Non-Violent

By / / , / 5 minute read / Articles
SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

Most people who choose to remain unvaccinated – like myself – do so not because we want to spread the virus to others or are against vaccinations in general, but because we have natural immunity and/or serious, data-driven questions about this particular vaccine. The moral case for choice, and against vaccine mandates, is as clear as day and as absolute as any case for good and against evil could ever be.

Medicine Should be Non-Violent Read Journal Article

Why Were They So Obtuse about the Terrible Harms They Would Inflict?

By / / , , / 7 minute read / Articles
SHARE | PRINT | EMAIL

It’s essential we debrief on the harm we caused – the epidemiological harm we simply displaced and converted to economic harm that, at the end of the chain, has caused equally real people to suffer and die at higher rates than they would’ve had we acted differently. It’s irresponsible and unscientific to suppress discussions on the inconvenient truth that our response to the pandemic likely indirectly killed people.

Why Were They So Obtuse about the Terrible Harms They Would Inflict? Read Journal Article