Irony of the deadliest enemy
In this book, Osterholm argues that a pandemic is the biggest possible threat to humanity, calling it the "deadliest enemy." Despite the fact that this is the biggest threat we face, governments across the world are ironically unprepared for this eventuality. Surely it should be a priority if it is the "deadliest enemy"?
Speaking about the facts
Osterholm makes it clear that people who don't know the fact should not be speaking: “if you don’t know what you’re talking about, then don’t talk, or at least say you don’t know.” Ironically, it is the people who know the least who are often the loudest.
Irony of expansion
Osterholm argues that the desire for extreme expansion and progression across the world is ironically what might lead to its downfall, saying: "We are altering the dynamic with pathogens simply through our encounters with them. By venturing into the microbes' homes deep in rain forests... by concentrating large numbers of people together; by breeding millions and millions of pigs and poultry and keeping them in close confines... we humans are forcing microbes to adapt to continual stresses and giving them opportunities nature never did."
