How protesters demanding ‘freedom’ from COVID restrictions ignore the way liberty really works

By Andrew Vonasch, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Canterbury
Michael-John Turp, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Canterbury

Like the many similar movements against vaccine mandates and other pandemic restrictions around the world, New Zealand’s protests have expressed a unifying concern with personal freedoms.

One of the highest-profile groups at the occupation of parliament grounds in Wellington was “Voices for Freedom”. The occupation itself began with a “freedom convoy”, and many of the signs and placards around the makeshift camp made “freedom” their focus.

And while that particular protest ended…

Read complete article

~	Arrowhead marks found in Central Asia could prove the existence of ‘Homo sapiens’ 80,000 years ago

~	From Anthropic to Iran: Who sets the limits on AI’s use in war and surveillance?

~	China set to suffer from turmoil in the Middle East, but it stands to benefit long term

~	Who – or what – will replace Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei

~	World’s biggest astronomy camera seeks to answer pressing questions about the universe

~	Wet winter, hot summer? What ‘climate whiplash’ means for the UK

~	Blasted out at 20 times the force of gravity: what ejection from a fighter jet does to the body

~	When your eyelids become a cinema screen: what strobing light reveals about the brain

~	Late deciders, higher turnout: what the Gorton and Denton byelection taught us about voters

~	Dog attacks keep happening in NZ. Why hasn’t the law kept up?