Smart Phones and Dumb People

Recently, I got to wondering about why some folks haven’t fully embraced the COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States. “Fully embraced” as in a significant majority of folks who have received it nationwide. That includes the naysayers, most folks in the South, certain Republicans, and some others… including — believe it, or else — some healthcare professionals. Anti-vaxxers are excluded, of course, because they’re against every vaccine. Idiots.

Would that there were one for stupidity. It should be mandatory at birth, and for everyone. Maybe if it were called a “smart pill,” that’d help. We have “smart phones,” and plenty of dumb people. It just isn’t right.

But I digress.

Some folks have said that they don’t “trust” the vaccines, for one reason, or another. So far, no one’s been abducted by aliens after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, and that I’m aware, no one’s hair has tried to call Bill Gates after they received a COVID-19 vaccine. But Congress and the Department of Defense have released videos of what we once called “UFOs” – Unidentified Flying Objects. Now they’re called UAPs — Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. But I still like UFO. Still, no one knows what they are. Hence, the name. And quite fortunately, there’ve been no reports of folks growing tails and swinging from trees afterward, either. But doubtless, some have eaten bananas. Point for lower primates: 15 – love.

So we’ve moved from the known (stupid folks who don’t get vaccinated), to the unknown (mysterious video imagery of UFOs making some very impressive maneuvers).

But what is it that we don’t know? And how do we know what we know? As the late Donald Rumsfeld, then Secretary of Defense once said in response to a question February 12th, 2002 (excerpted):

“Reports that say something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me because as we know, there are known knowns: There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns: That is to say, we know there are some things [we know] we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don’t know we don’t know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tends to be the difficult one.

“At first glance, the logic may seem obscure. But behind the enigmatic language is a simple truth about knowledge: There are many things of which we are completely unaware—in fact, there are things of which we are so unaware, we don’t even know we are unaware of them.

“Known knowns are facts, rules, and laws that we know with certainty. We know, for example, that gravity is what makes an object fall to the ground.

“Known unknowns are gaps in our knowledge, but they are gaps that we know exist. We know, for example, that we don’t know the exact extent of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. If we ask the right questions we can potentially fill this gap in our knowledge, eventually making it a known known.

“The category of unknown unknowns is the most difficult to grasp. They are gaps in our knowledge, but gaps that we don’t know exist. Genuine surprises tend to arise out of this category. Nineteen hijackers using commercial airliners as guided missiles to incinerate three thousand men, women, and children was perhaps the most horrific single unknown unknown America has experienced.”

While some scoffed at his remarks — including philosophers — what he said was pretty straight-forward, and easy-to-understand. There are things we know, things we don’t know, and things we don’t know that we don’t know (things of which we’re totally ignorant and unaware, i.e., know nothing about).

We know, for example, that 4+4=8. But we don’t know what’s on the other side of a black hole. And there are plenty of things that we don’t know that we don’t know — like UFOs. But that could possibly fall into the known unknowns category, since we know at least one thing — or, at least think we know — but whatever it is, it’s flying, and we can see it, as well as use technology to partially visualize, and record it. So, we know that. But we don’t know anything else.

Fortunately, there’s a 25¢ word to describe how we know what we know. It’s called “epistemology.”

And, because it’s a philosophy, or at least part of philosophy, there’s plenty written about it. So, I’m going to share a few excerpts about exactly what epistemology is… and perhaps, what it isn’t.

The University of Sheffield — not Sheffield, Alabama — in Sheffield England, writes this about epistemology:

“Epistemology is the theory of knowledge. It is concerned with the mind’s relation to reality. What is it for this relation to be one of knowledge? Do we know things? And if we do, how and when do we know things? These questions, and so the field of epistemology, is as old as philosophy itself. Answering these questions requires considering the relationship between knowledge, truth, belief, reason, evidence and reliability. It requires considering the different psychological routes to knowledge, including different processes of reasoning – logical and scientific – introspection, perception, memory, testimony and intuition. And it requires considering the nature of the known reality: How we know our own minds differs from how we know the minds of others; social realities are differently known to mental ones; the route to scientific knowledge is different to the route to mathematical knowledge; and moral knowledge is not merely factual. And throughout these debates there is the constant undercurrent of scepticism, which suggests that we can never know the reality behind appearances.”

And, as you might suppose, there are some others who have something to say about epistemology, including Stanford University’s Encyclopedia of Philosophy, which states in part that,

“The term “epistemology” comes from the Greek words “episteme” and “logos”. “Episteme” can be translated as “knowledge” or “understanding” or “acquaintance,” while “logos” can be translated as “account” or “argument” or “reason.” Just as each of these different translations captures some facet of the meaning of these Greek terms, so too does each translation capture a different facet of epistemology itself. Although the term “epistemology” is no more than a couple of centuries old, the field of epistemology is at least as old as any in philosophy.[1] In different parts of its extensive history, different facets of epistemology have attracted attention. Plato’s epistemology was an attempt to understand what it was to know, and how knowledge (unlike mere true opinion) is good for the knower. Locke’s epistemology was an attempt to understand the operations of human understanding, Kant’s epistemology was an attempt to understand the conditions of the possibility of human understanding, and Russell’s epistemology was an attempt to understand how modern science could be justified by appeal to sensory experience. Much recent work in formal epistemology is an attempt to understand how our degrees of confidence are rationally constrained by our evidence, and much recent work in feminist epistemology is an attempt to understand the ways in which interests affect our evidence, and affect our rational constraints more generally. In all these cases, epistemology seeks to understand one or another kind of cognitive success (or, correspondingly, cognitive failure). This entry surveys the varieties of cognitive success, and some recent efforts to understand some of those varieties.”

So already, from the get-go, they’ve taken a deep dive into name-dropping and the historical variety of ways some renown thinkers thought about epistemology, which doesn’t do anyone any good if they don’t recognize those names. Because what we’re really concerned with is this simple question:

“How do we know what we know?”

Sheffield U. does a pretty damn good job of simplifying it. Kudos to the Brits. And shame on Stanford.

But there’s at least one more, and this one is published by the University of Tennessee at Martin, which is called “The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,” and states this, in part, with even greater clarity about epistemology:

“Epistemology is the study of knowledge. Epistemologists concern themselves with a number of tasks, which we might sort into two categories.

“First, we must determine the nature of knowledge; that is, what does it mean to say that someone knows, or fails to know, something? This is a matter of understanding what knowledge is, and how to distinguish between cases in which someone knows something and cases in which someone does not know something. While there is some general agreement about some aspects of this issue, we shall see that this question is much more difficult than one might imagine.

“Second, we must determine the extent of human knowledge; that is, how much do we, or can we, know? How can we use our reason, our senses, the testimony of others, and other resources to acquire knowledge? Are there limits to what we can know? For instance, are some things unknowable? Is it possible that we do not know nearly as much as we think we do? Should we have a legitimate worry about skepticism, the view that we do not or cannot know anything at all?”

Seems those hillbillies can put the hay down to where the goats can get to it. Congratulations! Highfalutin won’t get you very far. Poor ol’ Stanford prolly knows their stuff, but please… not everybody knows your stuff. Speak plainly, okay?

So now we know what epistemology is. It’s a branch of education that concerns itself with knowing how we know. In other words, it’s the process of understanding how we know what we know.

Again, referring back to what Rummy, i.e., Donald Rumsfeld, said, “there are known knowns: There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns: That is to say, we know there are some things [we know that] we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

Now recollect, we started off talking about the 3 COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S.A., and why everybody isn’t vaccinated.

Next, we discounted the anti-vaxxers, who are against everything. They’re prolly against sunshine, too.

Then, we talked about some folks that you would imagine have had the vaccine — doctors, and Nurses — but, have not. That’s a mystery — one of those “known unknowns.”

But consider this also: The Oakland (California) Zoo has vaccinated may of the mammal animals in their charge with a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Zoetis, a veterinary pharmaceutical company — or, as they say, “a global animal health company” — headquartered in Parsippany, NJ.

In fact, the company will be donating over 11,000 doses of their experimental COVID-19 vaccine to help protect the health and well-being of over 100 mammalian species in 70 zoos, over a dozen conservatories, sanctuaries, academic institutions, and government organizations in 27 states. Now, THAT’s SMART!

Why?

Because “zoonotic” is the term applied to diseases that spread from animals to humans. Like cow pox (which is how vaccines were developed by Edward Jenner, who noticed milk maids didn’t get cow pox), or say… COVID-19. The World Health Organization says that at least 75% of emerging infectious diseases originated in an animal, including COVID-19, which came from bats.

So, preventing disease in animals – just like we do in humans – is just plain smart.

Now think about it; you’d look pretty silly to say that chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, lemurs, “lions, and tigers, and bears… oh my!” and a host of other animals had all gotten their COVID-19 vaccine, but you – an otherwise reasonably intelligent human being – have not.

But let’s examine some of the reasons folks give for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

First of all, it’s FREE!

And, free is good.

But let’s discount that one, and look at some more serious claims, such as “it’s not FDA approved.”

First of all, that’s completely false. The Food and Drug Administration HAS approved the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen. Otherwise, they’d not be available for widespread distribution and administration. That’s fairly self-evident. Same thing for the “experimental vaccine” being given to animals in zoos.

You don’t seriously think that some company can just to anything willy-nilly without going through a rigorous process, do you?

If you really want to get froggy about it, read this — though I sincerely doubt you will: Development and Licensure of Vaccines to Prevent COVID-19: Guidance for Industry

And then, there’s this page, as well: COVID-19 Vaccines: The FDA has regulatory processes in place to facilitate the development of COVID-19 vaccines that meet the FDA’s rigorous scientific standards.

Now, the beef some have — none of which are scientists, researchers, physicians, or other public health or healthcare professionals and practitioners — is this: “Emergency Use Authorization” (EUA), sometimes also called “Emergency Approval.” Here’s what the FDA writes, in part, about that matter:

“For an EUA to be issued for a vaccine, for which there is adequate manufacturing information to ensure quality and consistency, FDA must determine that the known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks of the vaccine. An EUA request for a COVID-19 vaccine can be submitted to FDA based on a final analysis of a phase 3 clinical efficacy trial or an interim analysis of such trial, i.e., an analysis performed before the planned end of the trial once the data have met the pre-specified success criteria for the study’s primary efficacy endpoint.

“From a safety perspective, FDA expects an EUA submission will include all safety data accumulated from phase 1 and 2 studies conducted with the vaccine, with an expectation that phase 3 data will include a median follow-up of at least 2-months (meaning that at least half of vaccine recipients in phase 3 clinical trials have at least 2 months of follow-up) after completion of the full vaccination regimen. In addition, FDA expects that an EUA request will include a phase 3 safety database of well over 3,000 vaccine recipients, representing a high proportion of participants enrolled in the phase 3 study, who have been followed for serious adverse events and adverse events of special interest for at least one month after completion of the full vaccination regimen.”

Jim Neighbors as “Goober Pyle,” attendant at Wally’s Service Station on “The Andy Griffith Show”

Some people make out like the FDA has taken leave of their scientific and moral senses during this pandemic.

They have not.

However, some Joes and Janes off the street have. But considering that some Joes and Janes off the street are neither learned or respected health researchers, nor healthcare professionals, what they say about health science and healthcare should be taken with a block of salt, not a mere grain.

George Lindsey as “Goober Pyle,” cousin of Gomer Pyle, both gas station attendants at Wally’s Filling Station on “The Andy Griffith Show”

I mean, you wouldn’t go o a mechanic to ask about your liver, spleen, or heart… would you? Then why would you believe what someone who is genuinely ignorant about practically everything related to health science tells you?

Here’s the picture: Going to Goober or Gomer Pyle – the flunky gas station attendants on “The Andy Griffith Show” – to ask investment, legal, or healthcare advice. It’s nonsensical, and the blatant hypocrisy of doing such a thing is lost on many.

Besides, they probably couldn’t tell you what mRNA is, or does, much less name 5ive of the proteins in DNA, and how it differs from RNA, and how RNA differs from mRNA.

Here’s a recent sorrowful story – sorrowful insofar as the woman exercised poor judgement. She left 2 kids when she died after being infected with COVID-19 delta variant.

A Missouri Woman Fearful Of Side Effects Didn’t Get A COVID-19 Vaccine. She Caught The Delta Variant And Died.

Tricia Jones, a 45-year old Kansas City, MO mother of 2, refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine because she was afraid of its side effects died in hospital last month after being infected with the Delta variant.

Her mother, Deborah Carmichael, spoke to local news outlets and said Tricia spent a month in hospital on a ventilator and died June 9.

She also told local news that Tricia worried about the vaccine after hearing “a lot of horror stories. She was afraid of the side effects, I think … I, myself, when I had the shot, it was rough, so it scared her and freaked her out. So she didn’t want to do it. I couldn’t convince her.”

Side effects from vaccines are most often a sign that the body is building immunity to the virus for which its administered. And generally, they are moderate, and only last a day, or two, at the most.

But, think about this: EVERYTHING in life has “side effects.”

You eat — you poop.

You drink — you pee.

You get hot — you sweat.

You don’t bathe — you stink.

You don’t get COVID-19 vaccinated — you get infected with COVID, and die.

You’re not bullet-proof.

Memento mori — Latin, for “remember (your) mortality (that you must die).”

There’s no sense in taking unnecessary risks, and not being vaccinated against COVID-19 is not only stupid, but it places others at risk from your obstinate refusal to get vaccinated. In other words, you could be responsible for killing someone, whether you like it, or not.

Don’t delay any longer.

Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine Today!