Making Sense with Sam Harris #270 — What Have We Learned from the Pandemic?
27 snips
Dec 14, 2021 
Nicholas Christakis, a physician and sociologist from Yale, joins the discussion to unpack the multifaceted lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. He reflects on our failure to coordinate an effective response and the politics surrounding vaccination. They delve into the real-world implications of vaccine efficacy and safety, the excessive mortality rates, and the emergence of new variants. Christakis emphasizes the need for public trust and the complexities of vaccine mandates while examining the balance between skepticism and reliance on scientific authority in health communication.
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American Success and Failure
- America succeeded technologically with vaccines but failed socially.
- Our failures stem from not utilizing our experts and a lack of shared understanding of the pandemic's severity.
Historical Denial and Lies During Plagues
- During plagues, denial and lies are common, similar to housewives throwing clay pots to ward off the Plague of Justinian.
- This mirrors current misinformation around COVID-19 remedies like bleach or ivermectin.
How mRNA Vaccines Work
- MRNA vaccines use only the spike protein's RNA, not the whole virus, to trigger an immune response.
- This targeted approach, based on 30 years of research, makes them highly effective, like an airbag for your body.
