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There is no doubt that the coronavirus is a global disaster that is claiming hundreds of thousands of lives and devastating economies. When it is finally controlled, no country or community will be immune. Paradoxically, some believe that something positive could come of this tragedy.
If there is any certainty about the current pandemic, it is that major changes are coming, some of which we are already feeling, but are only just beginning to understand.
Do we have the ability to anticipate these changes? How could we shape them for the benefit of humanity? In the midst of the current crisis, do we have the opportunity to conceive of the world differently? What will it be like in terms of government institutions, the economy and the environment?
The BBC asked three world-renowned thinkers to share their views on the challenges and opportunities that will result from this pandemic.
Yuval Noah Harari: Israeli historian and philosopher, author of Sapiens: a brief history of humanity“, which has sold more than 27 million copies, addresses the technological dilemma that was developed to combat covid-19 and how it could lead to the” best healthcare system in history, “but also open the door to a new era of invasive and oppressive surveillance.
Rebecca Grynspan: The Costa Rican economist and former vice president maintains that while all countries face financial difficulties, the so-called “middle incomes” will suffer the worst impact. He urges nations around the world to come together, “abandoning their political and economic interests” to protect and support the most vulnerable nations and the 5 billion people who live in them.
Jared diamond: American anthropologist and historian, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Guns, germs and steel (Guns, germs and steel), foresees the emergence of a culture of international cooperation, driven by the global response to the crisis.
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Yuval noah harari – Hhistorian, author of “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humanity”
“The Covid-19 crisis could be a milestone, a significant turning point in the history of surveillance, because surveillance is being revolutionized. It is moving from skin surveillance to subcutaneous surveillance.”
The historian points out that, until now, governments and companies have focused on monitoring what was happening on the surface, “above the skin.” In other words, where do we go, who do we find, what do we buy.
Now, as a result of this epidemic, we are focusing more and more on what happens inside the body.
“These observations can tell you if we are sick or not, but they can also tell you how we feel. Because feelings, like illness, are biological phenomena.”
Harari explains that direct surveillance can inform the government about virtually all of your activities: the sites you visit on your computer, the people you talk to on the phone, even if you are reading this report.
But, if you wear a biometric bracelet that monitors what happens subcutaneously, such as those that record metabolism, temperature, etc. – The government may also know how you feel when you read this article.
From the signs that your biological functions emit it can be deduced if you believe what you are reading, if you are skeptical, if something bothers you, even if you are afraid. It’s “double-edged” technology, Harari says.
“Subcutaneous surveillance can create the best healthcare system in the world, a system that detects a disease before you even know you have it. But it can also give way to the worst totalitarian regime ever, a regimen that knows more of us than him. ourselves. “
It would be a regimen that understands your personality better than your own mother or your sexuality better than your partner. “A biometric bracelet that monitors you 24 hours a day can easily distinguish if you are gay or straight and if you like the government or not.”
Of course, none of this is inevitable, he says, since the technology is not deterministic. The existence of such a totalitarian regime depends on the decisions we make in the future. “I hope we all make the wisest decisions,” he concludes.
Rebeca Grynspan – Economist, former Vice President of Costa Rica
“Some say that the coronavirus does not discriminate, which affects us all equally. But that is only partially true.”
Rebecca Grynspan points out that people suffer and recover differently from the virus due to persistent inequalities in the world. It refers to the so-called “middle income” countries, which in its opinion will be the most affected.
“These countries represent a third of the planet’s gross product, 75% of the world population and 62% of the poor.”
But compared to rich nations, these countries have weaker health and social protection systems, with fewer medical professionals and a high percentage of people at risk.
For Grynspan, the results would be disastrous for everyone if middle-income countries were left behind. “The world cannot risk a recession that could affect more than 5 billion people.”
He points out that “this is perhaps the most critical moment that international institutions have faced since World War II.” “We can’t let another minute go by,” he warns.
Jared diamond – Anthropologist, Pulitzer Prize Winner
One of the topics Jared Diamond addresses in his book Guns, germs and steel it is the development of dense and stratified human populations, centralized political organizations, and infectious disease epidemics.
Regarding this last element, Jared assures that, since before the coronavirus, “the world faces (and above all ignores) other global problems such as climate change and the depletion of natural resources.”
However, the anthropologist highlights that the world has not adopted successful strategies at a global level in the face of these problems, because, for us, they do not represent clear and imminent threats, such as covid-19.
Climate change is not considered an imminent threat, Diamond says, but it will kill more people than COVID-19.
“Covid-19 is a clear and imminent threat. It kills quickly. Therefore, I predict that Covid-19 will force us to adopt a global campaign like the one that successfully eliminated smallpox in 1980.”
The historian says he believes that climate change will eventually kill many more people, but this is not an “obvious villain”, because it does not kill quickly.
“I hope and predict that the world will learn from a successful campaign against COVID-19 and that we will continue successful campaigns against larger, but more subtle global issues such as climate change.”
“If that happens, the Covid-19 tragedy could result in a great positive legacy,” he concludes.
