"Coronavirus epidemic monitoring will mark important milestones in history"

Linda Liu: In the book Homo Deus, you wrote, "If we can really control famine, epidemics, and war."

Harari: Very normal, we still can't stop the outbreak of new infectious diseases. Germs are regularly transmitted from animals to humans. Sometimes germs enter the body of another animal and transform themselves, making them more contagious and deadly than before. However, we have the power to control epidemics and prevent infection by saving millions of lives and destroying the world economy.

The present situation should be compared with the past. Before the modern era, when the epidemic was spreading, people had no idea why people were dying, people did not know how to stop the epidemic. They usually blamed the plague on the wrath of an invisible angry god or black magic. All the people of the tribe prayed in groups to God to save them from the plague, which often paved the way for the infection to spread throughout the tribe. In the 14th century, when the Black Death plagued a quarter of the population in Asia and Europe, people still did not know why. In the 17th century, when 90 percent of the inhabitants of the Americas, Aztecs, Maya, and Inca died of smallpox and other epidemics, people had no idea why millions of people were dying.

On the other hand, just two weeks after the outbreak of the corona virus, scientists have identified people dying from the novel virus, scientists have been able to find out the genome sequence of the virus and have developed reliable diagnostic devices to identify the infected patient. Doctors will be victorious in the ongoing bone-to-bone fight with germs, because pathogenesis depends on widespread infection, but doctors rely on accurate information. Countries less infected with the virus can help epidemic-affected countries with information on virus infections, skilled virus control doctors, manpower and equipment. Institutions like the government and banks need to formulate an integrated action plan to prevent the impending collapse of the economy.

But people have many limitations. Indeed, humans have the ability to control epidemics, but that does not mean that humans can always exercise discretion. In 2005 I wrote in the book Homo Deus, "Since we are not sure whether Ebola or any other unknown flu will infect millions of people in the future in the form of an epidemic on earth, but still people will not prepare for the inevitable natural disaster." On the contrary, we will see the consequences of the unforgivable failure of the people and the need for the people in charge of the state to make the right decision at that time. There is no God sitting behind the spread of epidemics due to human non-cooperation and stupidity and the spread of infection.

I think the words written by Homo deus are still equally relevant and true. The epidemics we now face around the world are not inevitable natural disasters. Not being able to stop it is just a human failure. Irresponsible governments have neglected health care and medical care, failed to take immediate preventive measures when infection began, and have not yet been able to coordinate among themselves globally. We have the power to stop epidemics, but we lack the wisdom we need.