Written by Geoffrey Chia
Your ability (or otherwise) to engage with objective reality can literally determine whether you or those in your care will live or die. This is equally applicable at individual, group, national or international scales.
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The take home messages from all these real world vignettes (and the principles we need to drum into all primary, secondary, tertiary and postgraduate students) are these:
- Objective reality exists outside of and independent of individual navel gazing egocentric ruminations. I previously discredited the misrepresentation of “cogito ergo sum” by pundits of abstract philosophy here and here. [Erratum: I misspelt it as “cogito er sum“.]
The existence and understanding of objective reality is the foundation of all scientific research, discoveries and innovations. There is a term we use to describe the hard won paradigm(s) arrived at by the painstaking collection of real world evidence and rational analysis thereof: Truth.
- We can never determine 100% absolute Truth, but we can determine objective Truth to a high level of certainty beyond any reasonable doubt, much of the time. Truth is a statement of probabilities (in medical parlance we call this a list of differential diagnoses). We discover Truth by the method of skeptical enquiry, otherwise known as the scientific method. I prefer the former term because it applies as much to honest investigative journalists and police detectives as it does to scientists. This is a key concept I have stated repeatedly in previous essays on Truth.
If you argue that the scientific method is but one of many “equivalent” ways to know Truth, and you claim other ways (e.g. “gut feeling”, cultural bias, “divine” inspiration) are just as valid, I suggest that you never ever seek a science based Medical Diagnosis when you fall ill, because a Medical Diagnosis is a statement of probable but not absolute Truth based on evidence and reason. Go consult your chicken-entrails shaman or tarot card reader or “Hillsong” pastor instead.
- The method of skeptical enquiry uses different strategies to analyse different issues depending on the field being examined. The features common to all strategies however are firstly, accurate and comprehensive collection of real world data and evidence (observational and experimental) and secondly, cold unbiased rational analysis and interpretation of that evidence (including calclulating probable margins of error).
Strategies in the hard sciences of physics and chemistry are different compared with the softer biological sciences (where the vastly more numerous confounding variables require a statistical approach). Even though the double blind placebo randomised controlled trial is considered the gold standard for medical investigation, it cannot be employed in all circumstances. Observational studies in populations showing consistent findings can however still enable us to arrive at equally robust conclusions e.g. that smoking causes (primary) lung cancer.
- Denial of objective reality is the behaviour of egocentric fools, liars, ivory tower philosophical twats and psychopathic conartists such as some populists elected to head governments inn recent years and the media turds that brought them to power. Global warming deniers fall in this category.
- Science is the most spectacularly effective approach ever devised to understand and utilise the Laws of Nature to our great advantage, but can also be used to cause great harm, including the destruction of our living planet. Science is neither good nor bad, it is merely a tool. In order to be used for good, the application of science must be guided by universal ethical values summarised by the Golden Rule in both its iterations (do unto others and do not do unto others).
The Golden Rule as an optimum strategy has been validated mathematically by Game Theory. We need to use evidence and reason in the service of ethical principles (including due consideration for non-human living creatures that all need stable viable habitats to survive). Some people call such fair policy “Socialist Environmentalism”, which rabid rightwingnuts heap scorn upon, while they simultaneously lionise the failed, omnicidal and despicable ideology of “Neoliberal libertarianism” which is neither liberal nor libertarian as it callously disregards the rights of the vulnerable.
- Failure or refusal to apprehend and appropriately deal with objective reality leads to death and horrific suffering, usually inflicted on the most vulnerable and innocent (e.g. the children of anti-vaccination lunatics). This harm has historically been inflicted by the predatory US empire upon “the other” e.g. the US invasion of Iraq which was based on lies and caused the destruction of a functioning society, the death of well over a million Iraqis and many thousands of US soldiers. That war crime however was a “success” for the ruling classes such as Oil companies and Halliburton who laughed all the way to the bank with no accountability. Iraq is merely one of more than 50 examples of foreign meddling bastardry perpetrated by the US empire since the 1950s.
Failure now to engage with the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic by properly and promptly following the recommendations of medical specialists is leading to horrific suffering and death of vulnerable Americans, courtesy of the imbecilic, corrupt and cowardly psychopathy of US federal politicians. All leaders can do is bicker and blame “the other” by sowing racist hatred, aided and abetted by the prostitute media, especially Fox News and CNN.
The raw ineptitude, incompetence and indifference of US “elected” federal leaders towards to the suffering of their “own” people is vile and disgusting beyond belief. These fake “leaders” are floundering about, hopelessly playing catchup after originally denying and downplaying the reality of COVID-19. This will lead to the avoidable deaths of millions of ordinary Americans, including many young health workers deprived of adequate protective equipment.
Contrast that with effective, decisive and compassionate leaders such as Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand. Chalk and cheese. No contest. The best thing that can happen for the World and for Americans themselves right now is for their evil empire to collapse and for the “blue” states to form their own independent countries on the West and East coasts (or perhaps join Canada!). These truly liberal and progressive states must institute publicly funded universal health care for their people and a universal basic income by way of electing reality based leaders who can learn from the examples of Prime Minister Ardern and successful European democratic socialist states (especially Scandinavia and Germany), as well as (assuming they can overcome ingrained racial bias) from successful and effective East Asian societies.
Only by casting aside their stupid, failed, racist, selfish and evil ideologies and by joining the global community of reasonable and reasoning human beings as equals, will Americans be able to salvage any remaining tiny fragment of respect from the rest of humanity. The contemptibles (red neck racists, end-of-days sanctimonious evangelical hypocrites and corporate parasites) need not apply.
Does that all sound rather far fetched? Yes, about as far fetched as the collapse of the Soviet Union sounded in 1990. Just as the USSR then was a perverse totalitarian distortion of the original Marxist principles of socialism, the USA today is a perverse fascist distortion of true democracy and of Adam Smith’s original principles of classical economics and moral sentiments. When a State is not able or willing to prioritise the well being of its own people over the rapacious greed of a tiny entitled minority (kleptocrats, plutocrats, oligarchs) then by definition it is an illegitimate failed State. The USA today is by definition, beyond any shadow of doubt, an illegitimate failed State.
COVID status 23 May 2020: data from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
Australia total cases 7,111 total deaths 102 total cases per million popn: 279
New Zealand total cases 1,504 total deaths 21 total cases per million popn: 312
Ever since SARS-coV-2 was initially identified in Wuhan late last year, for the first time as of May 22 there were zero new cases in China (and for quite some time, the vast majority of their cases were not locally transmitted but were imported). Of course it will be impossible for China to completely eliminate the virus without a vaccine, but with tight management it may be possible to keep numbers on a fluctuating low baseline as is now the case for Australia and NZ, countries with much smaller populations, island nations which were able to more easily close their borders, countries which had substantial advance warning from China before their own numbers started to increase. Countries which were warned of the outbreak at the same time as the USA.
Meanwhile COVID-19 in the USA continues to spread like wildfire, despite which, all the States are easing restrictions, contrary to most medical recommendations. Rabid in-bred cretins are protesting on the streets for their “freedom” to infect each other (and to overload already exhausted health care workers), cheered on by some natiional political leaders. Many twittering mad MAGA-ites want to kill Dr Fauci because he contradicts the presidernt, who then retweets those death threats.
COVID-19 did not “break” America, it merely exposed just how broken America already was
More numbers as of 23 May:
USA total cases 1,645,532 total deaths 97,659 total cases per million popn: 4,974
China total cases 82,971 total deaths 4,634 total cases per million popn: 58
Guess what? The USA is now officially a shithole country – and its leadership made it so
Of course, none of it is the USA’s fault, there is always the “other” to blame.
Should we pursue the origin of the SARS-coV-2 virus? Absolutely. It is essential to identify the underlying cause of a problem and deal with it to prevent future exacerbation and/or recurrence. If it can with certainty be traced back to the wet market in Wuhan, the reprehensible practice of capturing and eating wild animals should be banned. In fact, even if the wet market had nothing to do with any virus ever, such a reprehensible practice should be banned anyway for ethical reasons.
Various American dumbasses want to sue China for trillions of dollars, blaming them for this pandemic. Good luck with that.
Before tilting at that windmill however, perhaps it is wise for those finger pointers to set their own house in order first, or otherwise risk accusations of being two faced hypocrites.
Some considerations:
According to this piece from the Smithsonian, the “Spanish” flu originated in the midwestern prairies of Kansas and was likely of porcine origin. But nobody calls it the “American” virus. We know with greater certainty that the H1N1 pandemic of 2009 originated in the USA. But nobody calls it the “American” virus. It was certainly of porcine origin, related to the factory farming of pigs. So why has the USA not banned the factory farming of animals?
Fortunately the influenza virus is much easier to fashion a vaccine against, unlike a novel corona virus. So humanity dodged a bullet in 2009.
So how much is the USA going to compensate the world for the pandemics they unleashed in the past? With added compound interest? Surely that should be settled before any new lawsuits are directed against others.
Going further back in history, we know that Europeans unleashed many viruses, the worst being smallpox, on indigenous peoples in the Americas and Australia (initially unintentionally and later intentionally). So how much is the USA going to compensate the native Americans for the biocide of 95% (according to Jared Diamond) of their population? Surely that should be settled before any new lawsuits are directed against others.
Blind Freddie can see the astounding venality and incompetence of the current government and proper blame for the horrific suffering and deaths in the USA today must be laid squarely at their feet.
Update 8 June 2020: Zero cases of COVID-19 detected in NZ
Update: 11 June 2020: Coronavirus cases in USA exceed two million
Way to go virus, only 329 million more to go!
Update 12 August 2020: NZ reports 4 cases of COVID19 after 102 consecutive days with no infections detected.
PM Adern acts swiftly by reinstituting level 3 restrictions in Auckland and level 2 in the rest of the country, following the advice of her health experts. This is in contrast to the recent outbreak a few weeks prior in Melbourne, Australia where the premier (chief minister of the state) dragged his heels for a few weeks before reimposing meaningful restrictions, resulting in a second wave of infections numbering several hundreds of new cases every day and as of 11/8/20, 18 new COVID related deaths. By now I ceased paying attention to “data” from the USA which are meaningless at best, coming from a country “led” by a president who has repeatedly stated that if no testing is done then no disease can be present.
Update 21 August 2020:
Update 2 October 2020: Trump himself develops symptoms of COVID-19 and tests positive for the virus.
He flew off in his government helicopter to the Walter Reed hospital to receive the best treatments available in the world. He then tells Americans they should not fear COVID-19 (presumably because they too can fly away in their own private helicopters to hospital to be personally attended 24/7 to by 19 physicians per individual patient).
Update 9 October 2020:
All the editors of the most prestigious and authoritative Medical journal in the world, the New England Journal of Medicine, sign an article condemning the failure of Trump’s federal government to manage the challenge of COVID-19 resulting in hundreds of thousands (to date) of avoidable deaths:
CONCLUSIONS (so far):
- To be clear: there is no dichotomy between economic and health priorities. Countries which prioritise the health of their people “over” their economy have returned to higher levels of economic activity faster and better than countries which have “prioritised” their fake “free market” economies resulting in uncontrolled community infections and an overloaded health system, unable to cope with baseline health care (trauma, heart disease, cancer treatment etc), not to mention throwing their health care workers to the wolves (eg young doctors and nurses dying from COVID19).
- Viruses predate human beings by billions of years and pandemics have existed ever since humans have travelled across borders. More frequent zoonotic pandemics nowadays are the consequence of worsening human exploitation of and destruction of the natural world, just one of many warning signs that we have reached the limits to growth and there is now hell to pay.
This article does not even begin to address the vitally important issue of “Black Lives Matter”: the indiscriminate murder of innocent black people by American police armed with military grade weapons, AKA domestic enforcers of State terrorism (although some American cops are, I presume, good people). Going by America’s track record dating back to the 1950s and more contemporaneously the criminal invasion of Iraq, the meddling in Ukraine, Syria, Venezuela and Bolivia and the violation of the JCPOA with Iran (to name just a few), the USA can without any doubt be described as the worst sponsor of State terrorism in the world today, both internationally and domestically.
America number one! The USA goverment is continuing fantastic work, making America a shithole country!
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In case you’ve been asleep the last several months, here is where the term “shithole country” came from:
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For more background on my thinking, the four essays below describe some of my personal lessons learned from death and near death experiences and can be listed under the rubric of “Engagement with Reality”
http://www.doomsteaddiner.net/blog/2017/06/06/lessons-learned-from-death-near-death-experiences/
http://www.doomsteaddiner.net/blog/2017/06/20/lessons-learned-from-death-near-death-experiences-3/
http://www.doomsteaddiner.net/blog/2017/07/20/lessons-learned-from-death-near-death-experieces-4/
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