This was very interesting and Pedro asked some great questions. Thanks!

When will you stop spreading YOUR fear Pedro???? You want to know why a lot of people don't fear this "very deadly" virus??? Look at this stats from where I live. Dead people by age: 0 - 39 = ZERO, NONE, ZIP, NADA 40 -49 = 0,4% 50 - 59 = 1,5% 60 - 69 = 6,3% 70 - 79 = 18,0% 80 - 89 = 40,1% over 90 = 33,4% There's a difference between catching Covid-19 and dying of Covid-19. This is not the malaria or the bubonic plague. Please, go play outside, take a deep breath and enjoy yourself since you don't look like a 70 years old man ;-)

Please have him back for a talk on Facisim. Fantastic discussion

The claim by Malthus that population grows exponentially but the food supply grows only linearly is easily debunked. The food supply grows also exponentially due to the increased efficiencies by division of labour/economies of scale (I don't even need to include technological innovations). Important though is that landlords do not monopolise land in terms of the economic rent (see Henry George: Progress and Poverty). This Earth and World has more than enough room for all of us. It is not population increase: Of more danger to the health of mankind are the Malthusian ideas which seem to have taken hold in academia and ruling circles.

Fantastic conversation - sincere thanks to Mr. Snowden for taking the time.

quality discussion, I think Mr Snowden was amazing and glad that he has overcome the virus

The right guest for our time. Thank you.

Good interview but CDC funding has doubled in last 10 years.

Fascinating interview. It would be great to hear more from Professor Snowden, as the allotted time was only able to provide a light introduction to his extensive knowledge.

I am from Poland and from my perspective the sentence "There are people who do use the pandemic emergency for political power purposes, as we've seen in Hungary and Poland, where we have-- it can be used that way, but it doesn't have to be." is nothing more like repeating mainstream media narrative which is not especially informative... But I would be happy to face exampleas and arguments for that thesis...

Should get someone on to talk about the Greek response and how successful it was

Please bring him back. Thanks for this interview. I want the second part.

The interview with Dr. Snowden was very enjoyable and very informative. I'd forgotten that Thucydides had provided such a close look at the plague in Athens. This subscriber hopes that he will come back in a few months to review how much our current history is rhyming with historical events.

Brilliant. Book ordered. Thank you

A third of European population dies in the plague... -> Historian: "Boohoo- the worst part is the xenophobia! Oh noes - antisemitism goes up!" This perspective is so tedious...

Extraordinary interview, gives context to what we are going trough. Pedro was really good at interviewing Dr. Snowden. Look forward to the Fascism one. Good to include this type of content, is both useful and very interesting.

As an Australian the Xenophobic take on things is very interesting. Anti Chinese sentiment has been under the surface for a long time mostly because housing unaffordability is often blamed on Chinese investment, but also growing sense of Chinese business influence on government and large infrastructure projects. The pandemic has given reason to bring this sentiment much more out in the open.

Amazing historical perspective from Dr. Snowden. Thanks

"Re-imagining the economy" sounds great on the face of it, but when you realize businesses like restaurants have extremely thin margins, reducing their seating by 50% or attempting to shift to take-out only isn't going to cut it. This is an economic firestorm. Anywhere from 30 - 50% of small business will close. Small business happens to be the biggest driver in employment, which means those not already on the rolls (now earning more than they would have when working--which is another systemic problem) will have to file and expand the already horrible unemployment numbers. This reduces demand, as continual injections of helicopter money won't be enough to plug the hole, which induces deflationary forces. This will, like it or not, will induce cries for more govt intervention and demands for perpetual "Universal Basic Income" as well. Forget the pace of re-opening, forget "second waves" and forget the rest of the virus -- the economic effects have already been unleashed. I don't see a "V" recovery, or even a "W" recovery. I'm thinking that we get a large deflationary wave which then results in the exported inflation eventually roaring back to US shores. If you need a market analog, we're in the middle of the 1929 rally off the lows, and then the subsequent grinding lower as the economy falters and small business gets decimated.

The reason people are "gathering" is because they see the DATA for what it is; and the flawed models for what they AREN'T, namely accurate. This a disease that predominantly kills the elderly and the co-morbid; whereas infection in the rest of the population is mostly mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic, and therefore doesn't justify the PLENARY lock down that has been imposed upon us---and which is tantamount to committing socio-economic suicide. (Almost half of the NY deaths occurred in nursing homes, the result of Cuomo's order forcing them to accept COVID-infected patients. "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help [kill] you."). Moreover, "flattening the curve" for the sake of a few unprepared hot spots (again, "the rotten apple") virtually guarantees that the delay of herd immunity, and a second COVID wave in the Fall. "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste;" and the politicians clearly did not miss their opportunity to exploit this one. To wit: Who needs Sanders: "we're all socialists now !"

What a fascinating interview, given by a very charming individual. It's always very satisfying learning from an expert who is so passionate about his or her subject. It's a shame some people are determined to find some insidious political bent to every interview, and then work themselves up into a frenzy about it. Sign of the times sadly.

There’s often a justification for xenophobia. Otherwise it would have went away. It protects the group for outside disease. “The Righteous Mind” by Jonathan Haidt explores this. Athens probably needed more xenophobia.

I watched this interview and, whilst respecting the opinion of the interviewee, re. COVID-19 and its potential deadliness, as an adult I will take my chances, not sucumb to fear, and get on with my life; whilst taking appropriate measures to protect those most vulnerable who are closest to me. I choose to not live in fear and take my chances, because I know people who have already had their livelihoods ruined by lockdown and are now already living on an economic knife edge. Anecdotally, I know of one UK University with contingency plans to move its courses 100% to online next academic year (whilst still attempting to charge full tuition fees - cheeky f***ers), and this alone will absolutely devastate the local economy in my home town and the livelihoods of thousands of people who live there. I happily accept the shift to online study was already underway, but such a massive change in a handful of months will cause economic devastation to the lives of thousands of people in my home town, and I suspect the good Professor does not consider this when he expouses locking down to shelter from a virus that - let's face it - kills a tiny minority of those who are infected by it (and I currently have good reason to think I may have been infected in January - something a currently UK-lacking antibody test would confirm). Personally, I think what we have done has not been worthwhile vis-a-vis the economic devastation and negative psychological impact it is going to wreak on peoples lives (and we are not even close to seeing it all - only in anticipating some of it). The good Professor does not seem to see this from his tenured bubble, and this makes me both angry and sad for the future. The Professor talks about more damage being caused if we experience a second wave. What I would respond to this is, a second wave is pretty much a certainty now IMO, and we've already sustained a truck load of societal damage. We just don't fully collectively appreciate how much - yet.

All these comments about the guests' politics are getting old. The majority doesn't care. No one is 100% objective, everyone is biased, and it's fine. One shouldn't need to agree with a guest on everything to take something away from the interview. If you have counter-arguments and/or facts, please share. Otherwise, please stop polluting the comment section with your rants. I could understand if the guest was obnoxious, but this is not the case here. Thanks.

Congratulations on an excellent guest and wonderful interview. Wisdom accrues from previous experience, both one's own and that of others. Historians of the caliber of Professor Snowden provide insights that allow us to learn from the experiences of humanity in the distant past. This is particularly valuable for our present encounter with COVID-19 because pandemics of this magnitude are not part of our living memory. The severe criticism of a few of the comments is misplaced, and, as suggested, may stem from the degeneration of politics into partisan ideologies, with sharp differences in values. This is unfortunate because reason, clear-sighted observation of reality, and long-range planning are the faculties that are the hallmarks of humans. We must rely on those faculties, rather than emotional reaction and political ideology, when making decisions that have severe effects on ourselves and others. This interview offers a fine example of the clear thinking and reasoning that we need now. The role of the plague in the Peloponnesian War seems clear. Thucydides explained that the Spartans were fearful of the Athenians' power and invaded. The plague struck the Athenians shortly after the invasion but never harmed the Spartans. The disease left "death raging within the city and devastation without." This unexpected calamity weakened the Athenian forces and was a major cause of their defeat.

Although hearing about the history is always very intresting, i do have the strong feeling from this interview, that it is a very political correct one, very left side biased to say it simple. And also advocating for cencureship (talking with one voice.... just the biased left side voice you can hear him saying between the lines, which have us presently cut all the forrests to fight ....climate change 🤷‍♂️). Global warming, xenofobia, covid19 all through the left wing playbook. I myself do need some Victor David Hanson podcast for a anti-dote to this 50 minutes.

FYI: Yale University offers a free online course of Dr. Snowden's titled "Epidemics in Western Society Since 1600".

Pedro, I very much enjoyed the Professor. What a great interview. Genuine academic who can talk about his field for days on end. I'd love to be stuck next to this guy at a dinner party to soak up history. I have a few quibbles but why spoil a good interview with second guessing?!? J

Couldn’t finish this one. Standard Neo Liberal POV. Get this everyday from ever other news source. Jonathan Haidt is someone who is much more nuanced and interesting that could talk about this type of thing.

Great and timely interview Mr. da Costa. Dr. Snowden presented a non-politically motivated discussion around pandemics and the current COVID-19 crisis. Dr. Snowden took care to present the information as accurately as he could giving examples while carefully trying not to provoke a political uproar. Many are so polarized that they think something is objective only when their side is presented. Like dogs our media has program us with key words and phrases. No one even cares if the key word changes from night to night. One night someone is great. The next night he/she is public enemy number one. Maybe we have two pandemics - COVID-19 of the respiratory system and Pavlovianism of the brains. DLS

What a lovely person and a great interview ! I loved it. Currently I am trying out RV with the 1 dollar suscription but I will definitely subscribe more, such great content every day damn

Interesting perspective, but for a historian he does not seem to fully understand the American federalist system. He says it was "chaotic" that each state and local municipality handled lockdown measures differently as if this was a bad thing and seemed to prefer some kind of centralized, authoritarian response instead. I'd argue the different responses by state is exactly what should happen in a situation like COVID-19 with each state handling it uniquely depending on population density, hotspots, demographic risk, etc. One-size-fits-all governance is rarely the answer. When Professor Snowden summed it up by praising the Rome newspaper, "For the first time in Roman history, the citizens are obedient," I got a chill down my spine. I hope voices like his aren't the only ones at Yale University.

Wow!

We won’t see violent riots. We Americans are simple to control. Feed us entertainment and sugar and we calm down. Our country is the apex of gluttony. All we want is to be entertained. It’s something human, to yearn for more yet do little to nothing to fight for it. How do 200-300 people in North Korea control the will of millions? Psychology. The human mind is the strongest and weakest tool. Most people’s fears and anxieties relate to their personality and attitudes, not actual survival mechanics like hunger, thirst , losing property. Most rioting isn’t survival rioting, it’s a personality of cult and tribal attitudes seeking to establish the image of power and dominance. Germans literally told Jewish people to march to their own death. Who fought? Only the Albanians protected the Jews, yet the Germans were afraid to fight the Albanian villagers for the location of the Jews. All psychology, all attitude. There won’t be riots. Just your usual American kicking, crying and screaming from the left. Chest thumping, harassment and flexing from the right.

What do the age statistics show as to the mortality rates? How do these mortality rates compare to the 1969 and 1957 flu pandemics? Why do some virologists seem to have their voices/testimonies censored?

What a wonderful, warm and intelligent interview. Another example of how our ideas can be enhanced through unexpected discussions and the inputs of experts from outside our expectations. Real Vision continues to cast the net wide! Yesterday was the fabulous Mike Novogratz, today Professor Frank Snowden 🙂I am loving the breadth, depth and intelligence of this Quarantined: Global Recession series. Keep them coming! Great interview Pedro!

not giving Pedro another chance . . . skipping this

Can someone tell the prof that it's perfectly okay to take some breath now and then, and slow the pace down. It would have made this video 100x better.

I loved this one!

I doubt Prof Snowden's belief that the virus will permanently affect things like tourism and air travel. People have very short memories. Lots of people can't wait to get back to taking foreign holidays, even cruises.

Great lecture, really enjoyed it. Perhaps we could get a sub-series on the history of various sectors? - Doesn't have to be the full history, but perhaps the past 50-100 years; where we stand now and future outlook /w sector-based challenges, breakthroughs etc..

A very interesting interview. Pedro, good job. Thanks.

A treat indeed. Thoroughly enjoyed that, thank you to Prof. Snowden, Pedro and Real Vision

Pedro, well done. I enjoyed the historical insights. Great interview!

59 minutes to get some context or an alternative view. Either way, a very worthwhile 59 minutes. Thank you

Really interesting

Pedro, great interview. Prof Snowden was very interesting and knowledgeable and the history was fascinating. I have to admit I was a little worried it would be another "political" show like some of your previous videos, but I thought this was pretty much non-political (and THANK YOU for that). Not sure where the comments below saw "political" statements being made, I must have missed that! Perhaps maybe just your name has become a "trigger" for some. Oh well, to each his own!

Don't think 'decimation' of the Roman legions has been used in the context of the inability to conscript new soldiers. :-)

There is (I think) a sincere desire among many countries around the world to thoroughly investigate the source of this pandemic and to draw appropriate lessons. But this issue appears to be very political. I wonder therefore how much we are really going to learn from this pandemic?

You can believe in science and not be fearful.

Really enjoyed this interview. Love the historical epidemic examples. Xenophobia is the constant during every international pandemic. The amount of terrible things I have seen being said to the East Asian Community (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans), many of whom are actually born and brought up in our Western countries is very sad to see.