Aaron Maniam (MPP 2013) delivered a talk at TED's virtual conference on 'New ways to understand life in a pandemic', examining the language we use to describe the COVID-19 pandemic and how this affects our response to it. Drawing on his background as both a poet and policymaker, he outlines the limitations of the metaphors we use to discuss the pandemic – whether as a "war", a "journey" or, as he suggests, an "ecology" – and calls for a nuanced approach that draws on multiple, interlinking metaphors to help us engender a sophisticated, inclusive approach in responding to the pandemic.
Aaron is currently pursuing a DPhil in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School.
Recent news
Key role for Oxford Net Zero in new international standards for net zero
The world’s first international, independently verified net zero standards are on the way from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), thanks in part to three years of work by Oxford Net Zero, which the Blavatnik School is part of.