Society ⋆ Page 13 of 62 ⋆ Brownstone Institute

The WHO Proposals: An Open Letter

David Bell / April 8, 2024 / Government, Public Health, Society / 9 minute read

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The drafting of the Open Letter below, addressing these issues, was led by three lawyers with experience with the WHO, within the UN and in international treaty law, Silvia Behrendt, Assoc. Prof Amrei Muller, and Dr. Thi Thuy Van Dinh. It simply calls upon the WHO and Member States to extend the deadline for the adoption of the amendments to the International Health Regulations and a new Pandemic Agreement at the 77th WHA to safeguard the rule of law and equity. To proceed with the current deadline, against their own legal requirements, would not just be legally wrong but demonstrate unequivocally that equity and respect for States rights have nothing to do with the WHO’s pandemic agenda.

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We Must Resist the Grey Men

Haley Kynefin / April 8, 2024 / Philosophy, Society / 25 minute read

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For the sake of freedom, for the sake of vibrant and meaningful living, and for the sake of that very chaos and unpredictability that, in and of itself, provides the soil and the nutrients for beautiful variety to grow — we need to accept that there will always be holes and inefficiencies in our attempts to optimize our lives. And if someone pushes us to micromanage that precious negative space, that’s usually a sign that they are seeing us as resources, and that they do not, in fact, have our best interests at heart.

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Elites at War with the People

Ramesh Thakur / April 7, 2024 / Government, Society / 19 minute read

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How long until centre-right political leaders across the Western democracies grasp the truth that the cultural hegemony is not as crushingly successful as believed by the elites? Without embracing populism, they can still address the practical concerns, interests, and aspirations that animate working and middle class people worried by cost of living pressures, breakdowns of family and social cohesion, and retreat from pride in flag, country, and religion. These majority voting cohorts are worried about mass immigration, the erosion of women’s rights under the relentless assault from trans activists, and the absolutist agenda of Net Zero and damn the costs.

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What’s in a Name?

Richard Kelly / April 6, 2024 / Media, Society, Technology / 4 minute read

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Your name is important. To renounce it or change it is momentous. To be given a new secret name by an intimate partner is sublime. Imagine a new name, known only to you, carved on a white stone, handed only to you. How precious that would be. For now, each of has the name we have. If we don’t use it, who will?

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Consequences of the Wrong Worldview

Thorsteinn Siglaugsson / April 5, 2024 / Philosophy, Society / 5 minute read

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The mechanistic view of the world and its quest for ultimate solutions have failed, for they are ultimately hostile to man as a thinking, moral being. In its place, we need a new vision of humanity, of society. What characterises that vision? I will not attempt to answer that question here and now. But I believe the experience and message of people like Mohamedou Ould Slahi may guide us. Reflecting on this experience and message is particularly fitting now when we celebrate Easter.

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Wait! There’s a Pandemic?

Lori Weintz / April 2, 2024 / History, Society / 10 minute read

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Before Covid-19 there had been other pandemics. But in the past 100 years, with the exception of the Spanish flu in 1918, the other pandemics came and went without much notice for the majority of the world’s population. For example, much press coverage of the first SARS in 2003 neglected to report there were only 774 total deaths worldwide. Likewise, the heightened reporting of the 2012 MERS pandemic failed to summarize that there were only 858 total deaths. In contrast, recurring influenza strains kill an average of 400,000 people worldwide each year.

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Only Our Attention is Eternal

Thomas Harrington / March 31, 2024 / Philosophy, Society / 11 minute read

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It is the elites’ understanding of the prodigious power of attention that has led them to engage in their current campaigns of massive distraction, symbolized by the constant bombardments of noise we suffer in our public spaces and the building of massive, history-less no-places like the Museo Soumaya in Mexico City.

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2024 Brownstone Institute Books and Publications

Where We Are Now

Brownstone Institute / March 30, 2024 / Censorship, Society / 10 minute read

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The influence of this work has been extremely broad and deep throughout the world. And keep in mind, we were only founded in May 2021 and still only have the tiniest of staff, with a budget that is a miniscule fraction of what major think tanks in Washington and elsewhere spend every year, to say nothing of the Gates Foundation and government agencies. The experience absolutely proves that one dedicated group of people can do so much with just a little.

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Ignorance, Stupidity, or Malice?

Rob Jenkins / March 29, 2024 / Philosophy, Society / 7 minute read

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So yes, the four-year debacle that is our collective Covid response is attributable in part to ignorance and in part to malice. But worse than either of those, and far more damaging to society in the long term, has been the sheer stupidity—humanity’s capacity for which I will never again underestimate.

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The Renaissance of Our Hearts

Julie Ponesse / March 29, 2024 / Philosophy, Psychology, Society / 14 minute read

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Little acts of kindness mean more than we thought and losing them means more than we might have realized. It also means we are in desperate need of a kindness renaissance.

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Dear Colleagues: We Must Revive Sound Science

Bhaskaran Raman / March 26, 2024 / Policy, Society / 7 minute read

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We write this letter to you as a group of academicians, doctors, and professionals on the issue of a recent and extended beating taken by science and rationality, and the resultant current and ongoing concerns.

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XX-XY Athletics: Because Real Fairness Matters

Jennifer Sey / March 25, 2024 / History, Society / 7 minute read

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We are not anti-trans. We are pro-woman. And we believe everyone deserves the chance to play fairly. The vast majority of Americans agree. But most are too afraid to speak up and be smeared as a bigot. I hope this brand – designed for and by women – can inspire the silent majority to stand up for women and girls. Our fans will know that when they join us, they’ll get the very best athletic clothing and they will not stand alone.

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