A Moral Theory of Vaccination: States, Societies and the Control of Contagion in China and India
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the terror that infectious diseases have long struck in the hearts of humans. This fear is driven by the consequences of contagion. Since settled agriculture and the domestication of animals, germs have not only been the single largest cause of human morbidity and mortality, they have triggered economic reversals of fortunes, prompted societal upheavals and decisively shaped the trajectory of world history precipitating the collapse of once-mighty empires.