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A review by rick2
Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19 by Matt Ridley
3.0
Very interesting book. This book definitely challenged and changed some of my beliefs about the origins of Covid, whereas I went into this book mostly thinking spillover event, now I would say I’m a lot less certain in that and at the same time totally clueless about what the actual origins would be. Granted I went into reading this thinking that the “lab leak” hypothesis was mostly ranting Twitter conspiracy. So big marks for presenting the information as credible.
The book is a bit dense with genetic sequences and various spices and things that quite frankly went over my head. I mostly followed along and Ridley does a good job of explaining it, I just have no real literacy for the topic.
I do think that the book meanders at times, refusing to say anything definitive for a variety of reasons, political, scientific uncertainty, professional, reputational. This at times undermines the authors points from saying much of anything at all. It’s just a bit too nudge and a wink for me. There were parts, especially the last few chapters that get political, that seemed like a hedge. Don’t tell Michael Lewis, because he will write a middling book about it, but the narritave seemed to creep into “little guy on Twitter takes on CDC coverup” territory.
I think the take away for me is probably very similar to the US intelligence committees that, in a report from August 27, 2021, collaborated about the origins of Covid. Eight agencies participated. Four of them concluded with low certainty that COVID-19 was likely some sort of spillover event. Three had no idea and were not willing to directly speak to anyone or anything. And one agency believed a non-foul play lab leak was moderate probability. And until more information comes to light, that sort of uncertainty seems to be the most reasonable take.
The book is a bit dense with genetic sequences and various spices and things that quite frankly went over my head. I mostly followed along and Ridley does a good job of explaining it, I just have no real literacy for the topic.
I do think that the book meanders at times, refusing to say anything definitive for a variety of reasons, political, scientific uncertainty, professional, reputational. This at times undermines the authors points from saying much of anything at all. It’s just a bit too nudge and a wink for me. There were parts, especially the last few chapters that get political, that seemed like a hedge. Don’t tell Michael Lewis, because he will write a middling book about it, but the narritave seemed to creep into “little guy on Twitter takes on CDC coverup” territory.
I think the take away for me is probably very similar to the US intelligence committees that, in a report from August 27, 2021, collaborated about the origins of Covid. Eight agencies participated. Four of them concluded with low certainty that COVID-19 was likely some sort of spillover event. Three had no idea and were not willing to directly speak to anyone or anything. And one agency believed a non-foul play lab leak was moderate probability. And until more information comes to light, that sort of uncertainty seems to be the most reasonable take.