Pandemic perspectives: a filmmaker's journey in 10 essays

With Thomas Lewis as his guide, Howard Burton takes us on a thought-provoking personal journey of deepening his understanding of a wide range of key societal issues illuminated by the COVID-19 pandemic, from biomedical science to the nature of politics, as part of the process of creating the documentary film, Pandemic Perspectives, and having detailed conversations with 32 leading experts in biology, education, history, law, philosophy, politics and more. In the different essays Howard thoughtfully weaves together the different expert perspectives and makes intriguing connections through an engaging narrative. Examples of societal issues that are examined: - The need to rethink current educational practices - The future of scientific research - The challenges of making evidence-based public policy in an age of rapid information and misinformation - The widespread confusion about how science actually works - The importance of balancing basic and applied research - The implications for coherently addressing climate change - The tension between individual liberties and communitarian ideals The need to critically evaluate the level of care in our society - The importance of looking at history during a time of crisis - The perils of nationalism and the necessity of thinking globally - To what extent the pandemic has revealed our true moral nature