How Do I Deal With a Friend Who Thinks Covid-19 Is a Hoax?

Should I cut off my relationship?

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Illustration by Tomi Um   The Ethicist How Do I Deal With a Friend Who Thinks Covid-19 Is a Hoax? The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on what to do when a friend believes the coronavirus pandemic is a worldwide conspiracy — and more. By Kwame Anthony Appiah

A friend of mine whom I’ve kept in contact with over text message (we live in different countries) does not believe the Covid-19 pandemic is real. He is taking precautions and practicing social distancing, but he told me that he believes Covid-19 is a political, worldwide hoax to control people. I was flabbergasted to hear this. I tried to explain to him that the disease is no hoax: I know doctors fighting it, I know people who have contracted the virus and so on. But nothing has persuaded him.

Should I cut off my relationship with him or continue to talk to him? It is exhausting to argue with someone who believes in a conspiracy theory. I don’t feel I would lose much by cutting off ties with him, but how much of a responsibility do I have to make him understand the truth? It feels bigger than just our relationship.

Read the Ethicist’s response here.

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