The Center Debates: COVID-19

This event will feature Marc Lipsitch and be hosted jointly by the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Learn more about the event here. Register here.

“The Center Debates” is a new initiative of the Center for Philosophy of Science. Our goal is to promote serious, but respectful and constructive exchanges about controversial topics of interest to historians and philosophers of science, scientists, and the lay public. Typically two speakers with a different perspective on a given topic are invited to debate; each gives a 20-minute presentation, followed by two 10-minute responses to the other’s speaker presentation. This exchange is then followed by a 30 minute Q&A.

The second installment of Center Debates, Center Debates: COVID-19, will provide philosophical and epidemiological perspectives on the current pandemic by examining several scientific controversies, including lockdowns, facemasks, and vaccine allocation and dosing schedules. Jonathan Fuller MD, PhD (University of Pittsburgh), a philosopher of science and medicine who has written public commentaries on the pandemic, will debate Marc Lipsitch, D.Phil. (Harvard University), an infectious disease epidemiologist who has led much of the science and policy discussion around COVID-19.