In 2022 Howard Burton launched the Pandemic Perspectives Project: a documentary film, podcast series and this engagingly candid collection of essays that chart his personal quest to make some sense of the COVID-19 pandemic through his interaction with a diverse array of 32 experts.Directly inspired by the award-winning writer, physician and self-professed "biology watcher" Lewis Thomas, Howard takes us on a thought-provoking tour of a wide range of key societal issues, from biology to politics to contemporary morality.Examples of societal issues that are examined: The need to rethink current educational practicesThe future of scientific researchThe challenges of making evidence-based public policy in an age of rapid information and misinformationThe widespread confusion about how science actually worksThe importance of balancing basic and applied researchThe implications for coherently addressing climate changeThe tension between individual liberties and communitarian idealsThe need to critically evaluate the level of care in our societyThe importance of looking at history during a time of crisisThe perils of nationalism and the necessity of thinking globallyTo what extent the pandemic has revealed our true moral natureVisit our website for details about the documentary film, Pandemic Perspectives: https: //ideasroadshow.com/.