Social issues

«Swiss primary schools can no longer afford the absence of men»

by Hanspeter Amstutz*

(29. November 2021) The shortage of teachers in primary and secondary schools threatens to become chronic, as a look at the rising numbers of pupils over the next few years, shows. Although more students than ever are entering teacher training at university colleges of education, the trend towards part-time employment and the excessive number of premature departures from the teaching profession are making for a highly tense situation on the job market. There have always been times of teacher shortage, but the current situation is different in two respects.

«How the Pandemic Is Changing the Norms of Science»

Imperatives like skepticism and disinterestedness are being junked to fuel political warfare that has nothing in common with scientific methodology

von John P. A. Ioannidis*

(29. November 2021)In the past I had often fervently wished that one day everyone would be passionate and excited about scientific research. I should have been more careful about what I had wished for. The crisis caused by the lethal COVID-19 pandemic and by the responses to the crisis have made billions of people worldwide acutely interested and overexcited about science.

“Youth is completely different”

On the German-Austrian Youth Values Study from 2021

by Marita Brune-Koch

(5 November 2021) Nowadays, “youth” is often equated with “climate youth”. This implies that youth today are “green” and organise or identify with “Fridays for Future”, Greenpeace, animal protection and similar organisations. However, this is by no means the case. The majority of youth “ticks” quite differently. This was shown in a study by the Austrian social scientist Professor Bernhard Heinzlmaier,* which he presented at the beginning of 2021.

“The COVID-19 Act bypasses the constitutional legislator and thus the people and the cantons”

by Andreas Kley*

(5 November 2021)  The subject of the referendum vote [of 28 November 2021] is the “Federal Act on the Statutory Principles for Federal Council Ordinances on Combating the COVID-19 Epidemic”. The title of the law, which lacks content, is striking. The title is pleonastic, because what should a federal law do other than create legal foundations? Moreover, a law must do more than just support ordinances.
International Journal of Infectious Diseases

COVID-19: an “extra-terrestrial” disease?

Elisabeth Paul1*, Garrett W. Brown2, Mélanie Dechamps3, Andreas Kalk4,
Pierre-François Laterre5, Bernard Rentier6, Valéry Ridde7, Martin Zizi8

Background

(3 November 2021) Although the threat of a pandemic had been present for many years, COVID-19 triggered frantic and uncoordinated reactions worldwide (Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, 2021; Paul et al., 2020b). Since being declared a public health emergency in January 2020, COVID-19 has been regarded as an exceptional disease, almost as if it came from outer space.

“Listen well and deal with the other opinion”

Talking to Josef Widler, M.D.*

by Sabine Vuilleumier, M.D.

(27 October 2021) The renowned general practitioner Josef Widler expresses his concern about the rifts that are created between the “vaccinated” and the “unvaccinated” and presents his view on how to deal with the pandemic. – “Swiss Standpoint” talked with him personally.