Most of the world was in lockdown from March 2020 under the spurious theory that wrecking small businesses, closing schools, and compromising every civil liberty could somehow be a pathway to controlling a respiratory virus. Media censorship of alternative approaches began immediately, thus silencing credible critics.

Eight months in, and before the release of the pharmaceutical products pushed as the solution, a small group of scientists gathered to conduct an educational seminar on the basics of public-health. They concluded the meeting with what they called the Great Barrington Declaration. Through thoughtful digital strategies, its existence broke through the censorship apparatus and gained massive public attention. It was ultimately signed by tens of thousands of doctors and scientists, and by nearly a million citizens around the world.

That single document broke the illusion of consensus and cast a ray of hope for billions of people who were living under lockdown and mask mandates, and would soon face mandates to accept newly developed vaccine products. The declaration came under heavy fire from government, media, and some public health scientists, though it actually represented little more than traditional public health wisdom.

This collection brings together the important documents concerning the declaration, including additional explanations, discussions, and debates. The experience told in these pages is, above all, a tribute to the power of ideas when the world needs to change course.