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The humanities must help solve the Covid-19 crisis, says Vanessa Rampton

23.06.2020 13:33

Undark, a non-profit, editorially independent digital magazine exploring the intersection of science and society, has published an opinion piece written by Branco Weiss Fellow Vanessa Rampton. In the article titled “Science Alone Can’t Solve Covid-19. The Humanities Must Help.” Rampton argues that scholars of society, language, and culture will be integral to addressing the broader issues raised by the current pandemic.

The virus, Rampton says, has exposed social problems that go beyond science and that point to systemic issues that are broader than the immediate public health emergency: deep-rooted health and social inequalities, a fractured political response, mental health challenges associated with home confinement. “Here, science still has a role to play, but it is a supporting one to the humanities and social sciences.” Thinking critically about society’s reaction to SARS-CoV-2 is as important as new scientific findings about the virus. “The humanities can contribute to a deeper understanding of the entrenched mentalities and social dynamics that have informed society’s response to this crisis.”

Read Vanessa Rampton’s article