Hi Ben,

First of all, humans actually have very little “free will.” Most of our behavior is determined by our genetics, and how those interact with our family, our communities and the culture around us. We are also highly influenced by random events. Still, we experience ourselves as making choices.

Second. There are irrational fears, and there are fears based upon the perception of risk. That perception can be guided by real, empirical evidence. In this case there is a huge amount of irrefutable evidence that this virus is highly contagious. People who get infected often suffer through an agonizing illness, and about 2% die, probably more but we can’t measure at this time.

We live in a world in which we are all interconnected and overlapping. One person’s “freedom” to do what he/she pleases, whether infected or not, could easily result in others suffering and dying. Should some people’s freedoms be limited for the common good? Should the spreader of the virus be charged with murder? Or should we develop some standard of what it means to live in a civilized society?

I agree that the “standard” can easily be abused and become too restrictive. That is why it is necessary to have a continuous discussion to help define our common values. Sadly, we are living at a time when discussions quickly turn into screaming matches with few people listening. We also suffer from a very low level of trust among all of our citizens. That makes everything more difficult.