A Creed Based in Inquiry, Skepticism, and Common Sense
Examining the two sides of the exemption medal and envisioning a Covidian Cult follower's reverse exemption request. Originally published 24 Nov 2021, republished 10 April 2022.
This fall, university and college faculty members across Ontario are faced with vaccination mandates and the resulting “choice” between taking the experimental COVID-19 shots or risking their careers and livelihoods. There are proponents of two distinct approaches to responding to the campus vaccination policies: ignore deadlines or outright decline participation on the one hand, and work within and around the policy on the other. The disobedience strategy is based on the perception that the policies are unconstitutional and otherwise illegal, starting with the requirement to disclose confidential medical records (vaccination status) to the employer. The collaboration strategy accepts that the policies are in place and supported by the vast majority of faculty, staff, and students (albeit under the influence … of mainstream media), and attempts to work from within the system.
As a good colleague and citizen, I made the decision to apply for an exemption from mandatory vaccination in the context of the university’s planned full return to campus in January 2022. I affirmed that “The requirements of Ryerson University’s mandatory vaccination policy … conflict with my sincerely held convictions based on my creed/religion.” The application was based on some deep reflection about my “belief system” and why my sincerely held beliefs render me unable to get vaccinated (for COVID-19). I came up with the following statement.
A Creed Based in Inquiry, Skepticism, and Common Sense
What determines my identity as a person, my view of the world, and my way of life is a system of beliefs that include a deeply rooted skepticism, a commitment to inquiry of all important questions, and the application of common sense to my resulting decisions and actions.
My motto “etiam si omnes, ego non” (“even if all others, not me”) has been used by the French noble family of Clermont-Tonnerre, Italian skeptical philosopher Giuseppe Rensi, and German anti-Nazi resistance member Philipp von Boeselager. It symbolizes individuality in my moral judgments as they remain independent from those of others. I do not trust authorities or other individuals in matters concerning my physical and mental wellbeing, my lifestyle, career, and similar personal matters. I am compelled to question everyone and everything that crosses my path.
Questioning the world around oneself can take different forms. As a scientist, I believe in systematic inquiry as the gold standard for defining myself, aligning my moral compass, and developing my aspirations in life. My creed is a spiritual reproduction of the approaches in the scientific community of practice, with which it connects.
Inquiry is modulated by skepticism, which draws on the Ancient Greek pyrrhonists. Skepticism purports that to assess a claim you would have to first assess the criterion by which the claim will be assessed. This turns into an endless cycle of impossible assessments. The pyrrhonian answer to this impasse is to suspend judgment to attain peace of mind. Yet, doing nothing often is not an option when dealing with personal or social affairs; this is where common sense comes into play.
Common sense means sound and prudent judgment based on the most simple perception of a situation or fact. It is my religion and Occam’s razor is its scripture. The latter guides us towards adopting the most straightforward explanation of the world around us. Nevertheless, interactions between body and mind have a mystical quality and I do believe in a higher order of existence not yet uncovered by humans.
Implications for COVID-19 vaccination
My sincerely held belief in inquiry, skepticism, and common sense has been infringed upon by the university’s vaccination requirement. I started asking questions about the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in mid-March 2020. I examined government data and publications as well as early study results and developed my existential response to guide my everyday life.
My understanding of the virus and the associated disease COVID-19 is driven by skepticism and common sense. The efficacy and safety of the vaccines is impossible to assess since the evaluation criteria cannot be validated in my belief system at this time (trials to be completed in 2023, additional mandated studies running until 2027, and “An important limitation of the data is the lack of information on the long-term safety and effectiveness of the vaccine”, according to Health Canada’s regulatory decision summary for e.g. Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine product). The cost-benefit analysis of the available vaccines does not pass a common-sense test (minimal risk from virus vs. unknown total risk from short- and long-term adverse events and the leaky, non-sterilizing vaccines’ failure in preventing virus transmission).
The spiritual principles outlined above guide my every action. COVID-19 vaccination with the currently available products is irreconcilable with my creed, making it impossible for me to accept the vaccine. As a consequence, I need an exemption in case I need to access campus while the policy is in place.
If this sounds vaguely familiar to you as a rational human being — bingo! I did not aim to discover or develop anything new. My goal was to articulate a spiritual perspective of science and evidence-based decision-making. I am not aware of holding other “beliefs” that would guide me in life. If you want to join my cult, let me be your prophet, ahem professor. We might as well call ourselves The Scholars. Although people seem to think that lowercase-s scholars usually are not good at common sense? So maybe The Common Scholars for our special breed.
Anyway, my exemption request was denied this week. The decision letter refers to a list of boilerplate “considerations” that partially contradict each other and are not specific to my submission. For example, “A broad personal belief concerning disbelief in medicine or evidence-based risks and treatments associated with COVID-19 is not a valid basis or sufficient explanation for accommodation” — the exact opposite of what I explained. The basis for decision includes the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s despicable Sep 22 policy statement, which essentially cancels human rights grounds for workplace accommodations related COVID-19 vaccine mandates and proof of vaccination. There are several other interesting and important legal and logical aspects to explore, but since this battle is ongoing, I will turn to the second part of this post.
I would like to evoke a near-future world, in which a Covidian Cultist argues for an exemption from a vaccination prohibition on campus, i.e. they request special permission to get vaccinated. Thanks to CJ Hopkins and other astute observers of the SARS-CoV-2 "pandemic", we have a solid understanding of the Covidian Cult. Suppose the tides had changes, we had come to our senses, and awoken to a benign reality of COVID-19 as a treatable seasonal disease caused by an unexciting endemic coronavirus. Has everybody regained their composure? No, unfortunately a small but loud minority remains spell-bound and tries to hold on to their new abnormal way of life.
In the context of recently introduced campus vaccine-protection policies that prohibit people with more than two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine from entering college and university premises, we share the confidential protocol of an investigative meeting of an insubordinate faculty member with their human resources partner*. The following is not to be misconstrued as advice on how to bypass vaccination prohibitions or other public health policies for the higher education sector.
Human Resources partner: Professor Hyde, you've indicated on your UPharm profile that you have already received four doses of the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19? Were you not aware of the public health recommendation that people stop getting more vaccines, since their benefit-risk ratio turned out to be so unfavourable?
Professor Hyde: That's a disinformation campaign. Public Health and the University should be held criminally responsible for withholding the vaccines from us!
HR: But we have learned so much since the beginning of the pandemic and finally realized that we can live with the virus. People who continue getting vaccinated are not doing their part for a full return to campus, since you will unknowingly spread the virus and even harbour more dangerous variants. Your decision to get the booster shots, against the policy, is putting everyone at risk. And it's jeopardizing your employment.
Hyde: I can't help it if other people choose to run with the herd and stop getting their boosters. I have a right to the best treatment based on my sincerely held belief, which is why I submitted the exemption request.
HR: Ok, let's talk about that. So you submitted a request for an exemption from the vaccination prohibition. You know that we can allow this only under exceptional circumstances, right? You indicate here as the grounds for the exemption that you adhere to the Covidian Cult.
Hyde: Yes, that's right. We believe that the virus is going to kill everyone eventually. We really need to keep control of campus safety and all of society, and not let our guards down. Mingling with the under-vaccinated is dangerous. The Covidian Cult requires its members to fight for their right to COVID-19 boosters. And we are lobbying the government to reinstate the good old vaccination mandates in high-risk settings.
HR: That sounds more like a political opinion than a creed. Are you organized in any formal way?
Hyde: We work a bit like a resistance movement, but there are several creed leaders associated with organizations like the Canadian Covid Zero Alliance and Canadian Academics for Covid Eradication.
HR: I am sorry, Prof. Hyde, but a belief concerning personal choice in medicine is not a valid basis for an accommodation**. It is my duty to make you aware that your personal decision will have consequences, up to and including termination.
We’ll let this entirely hypothetical conversation fade into the fog of history, as it is just too silly to continue. Unfortunately, similarly obscure and dystopian things are happening in real life right now, and we need some good thinking and strategic action to survive another winter. Common Scholars to the rescue!
*Human Resources “Partner” - newspeak for HR staff?
**Believe it or not, this is verbatim from my exemption denial.