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Can We Measure the Value of Saving Human Lives in Dollars? Somber Calculations in a Time of Plague

In fighting Coronavirus, the precautionary principle is reasonable: we need to act so as to bring as close to zero the probability of the most extreme results. However, the precautionary principle does not point in only one direction. Closing down an entire society for a prolonged period of time is uncharted territory, with many perils. We must also bear in mind the pre-eminent importance of the common good to avoid a catastrophic social collapse.
It would be wrong for the United States to engage at this time in an attack on Iran or to participate substantially in an Israeli action.
Robert C. Koons replies to a letter concerning his recent article, "What Will Replace Behemoth State University?"
New technological developments and pressing national needs suggest that the future of higher education may be one friendlier to the classical tradition of liberal education.