To Lockdown or not to Lockdown?

Someone pointed out this very interesting debate over lockdowns the other day. One author argues that the lockdowns have caused far more harm than good and will go down as one of the great policy mistakes in history; the other counters that they have in fact saved numerous lives and that things would be far worse without them.

Both writers are sensible and make good points. It's not short, but it is interesting reading. I incline toward the lockdowns-have-been-necessary side of the debate myself, because I am persuaded that coronavirus is indeed considerably more deadly than an ordinary flu. But it is a good argument, and especially worth considering now that we are facing questions about how and how quickly to open things back up again. In general, it nicely illustrates one of the central problems of public policy, how to make decisions under conditions of uncertainty. (The same problem, incidentally, explains why the pandemic is and must be a political issue, not simply one that can be resolved by experts.)

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A Warning Against Drink

I have gotten several things read over the last few days, but I keep forgetting to post any of it. Some more Gotthelf, but also a couple of other things. I'll try to break them up in order to get a few more posts out of them! Last Friday I finished another Gotthelf novella, Wie fünf Mädchen im Branntwein jämmerlich umkommen . That title does not translate very well into English, or at least I don't think so. Something like, How Five Young Women Perish Miserably Due to Brandy (or literally "in brandy"). It is an early work of Gotthelf's and a piece of social criticism. When Gotthelf was writing (1838), the canton of Bern had recently liberalized its system for granting licenses to operate a pub. At the same time, new methods of producing cheap brandy from different sources, including even the ubiquitous potato, were developed. As a consequence, inns and pubs sprang up throughout the countryside, creating a new temptation for poor...

"Plague Time" Essay Contest

If you are a major or minor in History, Political Science, Augmented History, Humanities, or German Studies, you are eligible to enter a brand-new essay contest being sponsored by the Department of History and Political Science. Details available here . And if you aren't a major or minor in one of those areas... it is not too late to become one now !

Summer Vacation

Let the summer begin! I finally finished off my grading yesterday. Now the summer opens up before me. Well, not exactly. I do have a few random independent study papers hiding in my inbox, which has been overflowing for the past week. But I can get them taken care of. And a handful of students still owe me late work, which will come in over the next few days. I'm also teaching a couple of online courses; the first exams from one of those come in next Monday. At noon today I have a committee meeting, a group pulled together to work on curricular planning for next fall in the face of continuing uncertainty. And this afternoon all faculty have to attend the first of several Zoom sessions devoted to online teaching, to help us prepare for all eventualities moving forward. Hmmm.... And oh, yes, I just remembered -- rats! -- that today is the deadline for reviewing the department's catalog copy for next year. There is also that long o...

Plague Time

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