Of Masks and Men, I

One of the deplorably entertaining aspects of this whole pandemic has been the masks.  Depending upon whom one asks and when, the reaction of typical member of the public asked about the topic ranges from humor to rage to defiance to sanctimony to resignation.

Set aside for the moment the questions of under what circumstances and for what people masks may be helpful; set aside too the question of to what degree and under what circumstances governments are obliged to issue orders for public safety that infringe upon citizens’ ability to do as they judge best.  Important as they are, there is another question that is in some ways prior even to these.

How do we make our decisions?

Some people lay claim to proceeding rationally to every opinion they possess—and there probably are a few people who do that, at least in important matters.  But for every day affairs, even these rationalists proceed as the rest of us proceed nearly all the time: they start with an impression and then, if the impression is questioned, they produce reasons to justify it.

That is how most of us make most of our decisions, and that is how most people decide whether or not to wearing masks is a good safety choice for themselves.  (Again, leaving aside what it means for others, or politically.)