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I think there’s a difference between questioning if this was an accidental lab leak based of legitimate scientific research, as compared to conspiracy theories

I think there’s a difference between questioning if this was an accidental lab leak based of legitimate scientific research, as compared to conspiracy theories that blame China for intentionally creating and releasing a bio-weapon. There’s a large spectrum between rational inquiry and conspiracy theories. Until the source of the virus has become more clear, it seems fair game to speculate about a lab leak without being subject to criticism as a conspiracy theory. Having said that, I agree that there should be pushback against assigning blame for Covid. Determining cause and assigning blame are done most accurately when decoupled. Even if the cause was a lab leak, the blame may belong to poor lab management rather than the Chinese government. Or maybe it was one individual’s fault. Or maybe it is just one of things that happen in dangerous lab work. Or maybe the blame really goes to world leaders who didn’t shut down air travel sooner. Blame is much harder to figure out than cause, and it’s a lot easier to point fingers at others instead of at ourselves.

PopePompus 5y ago
But if it was a lab leak from a poorly managed lab, it does reflect poorly on the Chinese government that it allowed such a lab to be poorly managed. If some pathogen leaked out of a US CDC facility, and killed hundreds of thousands of people, I'm sure the assignment of blame would not stop with the facility's management.
ff317 5y ago
I tend to agree that "lab leak" hypotheses are worth exploring (without wading into "bioweapon conspiracy theory"). They're worth exploring on the grounds that it could help change policies and practices to reduces the odds of such leaks in the future. It's important to note that we're not operating in a total vacuum of (circumstantial) evidence about the lab leak scenario, though. US diplomats back in 2017/18 noted their shock and concern that the Wuhan lab was operating unsafely, and was working on SARS-like bat coronavirus that could infect humans, and sent home warnings about it, but nobody listened back home: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/03/08/josh-rogin-chaos-under-heaven-wuhan-lab-book-excerpt-474322 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/03/08/josh-rogin...

PopePompus 5y ago

But if it was a lab leak from a poorly managed lab, it does reflect poorly on the Chinese government that it allowed such a lab to be poorly managed. If some pathogen leaked out of a US CDC facility, and killed hundreds of thousands of people, I'm sure the assignment of blame would not stop with the facility's management.

ff317 5y ago

I tend to agree that "lab leak" hypotheses are worth exploring (without wading into "bioweapon conspiracy theory"). They're worth exploring on the grounds that it could help change policies and practices to reduces the odds of such leaks in the future. It's important to note that we're not operating in a total vacuum of (circumstantial) evidence about the lab leak scenario, though. US diplomats back in 2017/18 noted their shock and concern that the Wuhan lab was operating unsafely, and was working on SARS-like bat coronavirus that could infect humans, and sent home warnings about it, but nobody listened back home: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/03/08/josh-rogin-chaos-under-heaven-wuhan-lab-book-excerpt-474322 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/03/08/josh-rogin...