Corona and the History of Epidemics: Dealing with Uncertainty

Mirror: Mr Scheller, in the Corona crisis, it is precisely unclear how everyday life and the economy will develop in the near future. Historians become sought-after explainers. Does looking to the past help to deal with an uncertain future?

Scheller: Our expectations for the future are always guided by experience. What we already know, we mentally extend beyond the present. But this never works 100 percent: none of those living in Europe today have ever faced a similar pandemic or knows it from stories, such as grandparents.

Mirror: Are people therefore looking for orientation in similar historical situations?

Scheller: Historical memory in its professional form is also part of the experience of a society: history. Historical comparisons will certainly help with mental models of how the situation will perhaps turn out in the coming weeks and months.