Pandemic! & Pandemic! 2: COVID-19 Shakes the World & Chronicles of a Time Lost

Pandemic! & Pandemic! 2: COVID-19 Shakes the World & Chronicles of a Time Lost by Slavoj Žižek

This book already feels incredibly dated just a few years after publication. There were things that we cared about during the covid-19 pandemic that do not feel relevant at all today. At the onset, it was supposed to be only a brief lockdown until infection rates fell. Then it was extended and extended. Some people working in "essential" industries kept working - and suffered from significant infection rates. The professional class was able to work from home. The working class lost their livelihood. The pandemic also occurred during a US election year. And we had various riots worldwide. 

Many parts of the response and actions analyzed in this book feel largely irrelevant today. Perhaps the only conclusion that can be drawn in retrospect is that world did a horrible job of responding (or even understanding how to respond.) Our society is so tightly independent that a full lockdown is just not possible. The porous lockdowns likely did more harm than good. What seemed to be obvious benefits during the pandemic now need to be re-evaluated. This book, written during the pandemic is now a historical artifact.

Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different

Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew about Quantum Physics Is Different by Philip Ball

Quantum mechanics is weird. It seems to go against how we observe in the world. In our normal everyday life, traditional physics does seem to do a good job. However, quantum physics help explain some of the details that tie things together. Observations are not "free". Anytime we try to observe something we change it in some way. This makes science challenging.

This book was one of the more clearly written ones on thee subject. It acknowledges the weirdness and does a good job elucidating principles in context.

The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age

What makes a strong leader? Is it just charisma? Does it require force and strong will? Who are examples of transformational leaders in the modern age.

Archie Brown attempts to differentiate among different degrees and characteristics of leadership as well as tease out the leaders that happened to be at the right place at the right time with those that were truly impactful.

The take on US presidents is interesting. Johnson was a strong leader. He cajoled and manipulated others to get his policies through. He used his strength as a senator and president to advocate for himself. He knew he had little chance of getting elected as a southerner, so willingly signed up to be vice president. He was then able to get re-elected on his own. He pushed through many civil rights and welfare programs as part of his great society. His strengths and obstinance also extended the Vietnam War (and led to his downfall.) 

Both Reagan and Clinton were seen as sociable leaders that did little special other than serve while things were happening. Reagan was president during the final phase of the cold war as the USSR was about to die. Clinton served during a period of a booming economy in the late 1990s. The author acknowledges that they related well to the people. However, he posits that Reagan did very little to help bring about the fall of the USSR. He just happened to be there when it happened. (Meanwhile Margaret Thatcher in England and Gorbachev in the USSR were seen as more important, strong rulers. )  As for Clinton was gifted a great economy, yet failed to make many lasting changes. 

The book has some interesting ideas, though comes across more as an opinion piece than a scholarly work. There are some conclusions of characteristics drawn, but it feels more like "I know a strong leader when I see one."

Anthony Powell: Dancing to the Music of Time

I have never read anything by Anthony Powell. After reading this biography, I don't think I will. The author had great admiration for Powell. Unfortunately, the tone came across as both too reverential and too distanced. The book felt like it was describing a bunch of random events that had no importance, even though the author was deeply involved with them. Powell appears to be an author that captured the literary zeitgeist in his time, but is now out of favor.

Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks

There is plenty of "bad science" out in the world. Some is intentionally misleading. Other times they accidentally produce bad results. Bad Science explores different issues with science, with a strong focus on medicine.

Studies funded by pharmaceutical companies frequently validate their own product. Ones that don't are unlikely to be published. A competitor may be "handicapped" to help make the company's drug appear better. Researchers are also likely to fish for a result among the study. (Perhaps Asian men between 51 and 60 show a better result.)

Even outside pharma, there is plenty of bad science. Selective publication results in plenty of studies not being passed. Various means of p-hacking may be used to find interesting results in studies. Natural variation may be mistaken from something significant. The placebo effect can be a very real thing. (Improvements can even be seen when patients are given a pill that they know is a placebo.) The quest for a "magic pill" can lead to many cures of limited value being common. 

The communication of results can also impact the reception of studies. Bigger numbers get more press. However, without understanding the scope of the dataset, they may be irrelevant. Something may appear to cause a "doubling", but that may be only going from 1 in 1000 to 2 in 1000. It could have just as well been a freak account. There are also plenty of "smooth talking" experts that may have little training or even understanding of basic science. It is common for them (as well as the public in general) to put credit in research that backs up their view, while finding faults in studies that don't. Sometimes "scientific" explanations can be given that have little grounding in science (such as for homeopathy's water memory.) 

The book ends with an analysis of the link between vaccines and autism. There were a number of players involved. A doctor was working with patients that wanted to file lawsuits due to autism diagnoses. Media was happy to jump on the story (but only some time after initial publication.) There were plenty of poorly done studies, bad interpretation of data and selective publication that all added to a scare with little basis in reality.