1. So I have a few thoughts on Richard A. Epstein, shoddy contrarian arguments about coronavirus pandemic, the anti-empiricism of Austrian economics, the popularity of dubious neo-Larmarckian biology among conservatives, John Lukacs, & the science fiction of Gene Wolfe.
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9. Hayek's interest in reviving Lamarck was shared by others on the right in 1960s/1970s (the conservative historian John Lukacs, the science fiction writer Gene Wolfe). I think Lamarck appeal is he allows for human will and direction in evolution (as against Darwinian chance).
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10. Epstein's belief that viruses evolve quickly and in benign direction derives from the crackpot neo-Lamarckism and social Darwinism he acquired from Hayek. It's what he meant when he said he's offering the "standard economic-evolutionary theory out of Darwin."
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11. It's also what Epstein meant when he said, "I’m not an empiricist." In the Austrian tradition, he believes theoretical approach of Hayek has more explanatory power than mere evidence-based models of epidemiologists.
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12. Epstein is not just a lone crackpot whose paper got widely read in GOP circles. Epstein has had an impact because he's squarely in influential overlapping intellectual networks: Austrian economics, Chicago economics, Federalist Society, Hoover Institution, etc.
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13. More thoughts on Epstein's intellectual network here:https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/epstein-trump-coronavirus-crackpot/ …
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14. Final point: we need a reckoning not just with Epstein but all the institutions that made Epstein possible. They claim to serve the public interest but have helped deranged pseudoscience spread (and not just in this pandemic).
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End of conversation
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“evidence that trauma can leave lasting marks on genes that are passed on” not really a thing
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