Guns, Germs, and Covid-19. Why science communication needs metaphors

In 2020 we have been witnessing one of the worst health crises of all time. As a result, journalists, politicians and even scientists all over the world, with only few exceptions, have reached for the imagery of conflict to describe the coronavirus pandemic: nations of all over the world have been - and still are - at war with an invisible enemy.
Why are warfare metaphors so common in health discourse? Do they always convey the desired message?
Watch the online roundtable with experts from different fields and disciplines to find out.

Roundtable with:
Stephen Flusberg, Purchase College (SUNY)
Elena Semino, Lancaster University
Gianluca Briguglia, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Dagmar Paulus, University College London
Marina Chiara Garassino, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori of Milano
Moderator: Roberta Villa, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

[jamesegerton]

Thank you all for this enlightening conversation!