32. Master in epidemiology, economics and public health
I
have observed, in the last month, a curious phenomenon going on in my WhatsApp
groups. Groups which, in the past, have devoted their conversations to mundane,
if not even mendacious, subjects, are now discussing epidemiology, economic
policy and public health. People are reading on these subjects, they are
interested. This is a dangerous moment, if you believe the adage ‘A little
knowledge is a dangerous thing’, and I have seen some situations which seem to
illustrate this point. Most reading is done on WhatsApp, Facebook and highly
selective Twitter threads. These are not the sources I would recommend for
gaining a masters in any of these worthwhile, complex subjects. Information may
be mistaken or even wilfully faked. And even if not, the critical reading of
complex information, combined with awareness of potential intentional and
unintentional bias, are essential when trying to gain full understanding. We
should be moving to books and peer reviewed articles, if at all possible
Length: 995 characters
Length: 995 characters
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