Karl_ wrote:Oblomov Boblomov wrote:This thing has killed millions and caused suffering on an unimaginable global scale. If it turned out it happened because a group of people did a whoopsie, surely that would deserve more than a shrug of the shoulders?
If a lab accident were the origin of this outbreak and it could be shown someone was negligent then that person might be tried for negligence by the appropriate bodies in China. It's their courts and their decision. What does it have to do with the West, especially the western far-right?
If it were the case, then it's important to know so that procedures can be reviewed and changed where necessary to prevent such an accident happening again. That knowledge should then be shared internationally so everyone can learn from it. If it were the case that the Chinese authorities were aware of an accident but did not disclose it, there should rightly be international pressure for more transparency as an earlier disclosure could have had a huge impact on preparations for dealing with and preventing the spread of the virus.
I think you would agree with this, but you frame it like the only outcome of finding out it was a "lab leak" would be to prosecute the researcher responsible. That carries an implicit assumption that the fault was purely down to human negligence, not a lack of safeguards or sufficient safety procedure, and I think that assumption is unfounded.
Of course this is all hypothetical and the most likely origin of the virus is natural, but it's important to fully investigate not for accountability but for reviewing systems to reduce the chance of a pandemic happening again, and to ensure the international response can be as effective as possible if one does.