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On the balance of goods https://www.bitchute.com/video/eKdfuMAOvtOj/ #BitChute

The Alleged Conflict Between Science and Faith https://www.bitchute.com/video/dRO0VqWRYGgF/ #BitChute

My 11 years old cat sleeping & washing herself 🧡🐱

#siberiancat #siberian #kissa #cats #ねこ #ねこすたぐらむ #mastocat #catsofmastodon #caturday

Ethical questions in a pandemic https://www.bitchute.com/video/HHMgSkcUQUJk/ #BitChute

How Should We Approach Triage in the Crisis? #covid19ethics https://ionainstitute.ie/how-should-we-approach-triage-in-the-crisis/

Ethical questions in a pandemic https://ionainstitute.ie/ethical-questions-in-a-pandemic/

In two countries with liberal regimes abortion rates have increased https://www.bitchute.com/video/EqRH0MpVom1U/ #BitChute

Ya know how some of the less intelligent people on social media keep griping about how the death toll of COVID-19 is no worse than a normal flu... well next time show them this graph.

#covid19 #covid #coronavirus

CW long post, original content

On the balance of goods

Risk is the probability that damage happens. In these difficult days both the damage due to the Corona virus and its probability to happen have reached unprecedented and critical levels.

Obviously, risk assessment is the task of specialists. They esteem the reliability of data and the possible future variations. Their models present different plausible scenarios and then political authorities, and society in general, have to take decisions based not only on our knowledge but on our values as well.

Decision-making involves both technical and evaluative elements. Once we know of the conceivable advantages of possible scenarios, we need to choose the one we prefer and this is when ethics becomes relevant as it helps us to create a hierarchy of values aimed at guiding our choices.

What goods have to be thrown into the scale? Which ones should we prefer?

Health is a public good, no doubt, but it is not the only one. Moreover, if our first imperative is to save lives, we still need to question whether a certain policy, for instance a strong limitation of movements and contacts, has an impact on our lives that is equally detrimental, if not even more harmful. Long-term as well as short-term consequences need to be evaluated.

Car accidents happen but we don’t close all the roads to prevent them. We close a road when it is dangerous, when it presents an unbearable risk.

So, how do you “flatten the curve” without flattening society altogether? There are no fast answers.
Every policy has costs, not simply in economic terms but also from the point of view of human relationships, mental health, the environment, civic liberties, etc.

In order to tackle Covid-19 most countries have chosen a politics of mitigation that avoids overwhelming the health system and buys time, with the hope that a vaccine for the virus will be available reasonably soon.
However, we need to set out different considerations regarding the good that this politics produces or precludes.

The restriction in the circulation of people, commodities and services has profound impact on our society.
It freezes entire sectors such tourism and hospitality, sport and public entertainment.
It impedes long-term migration and temporary travelling, it limits public worship and the mourning of our deaths, it frustrates education at all level and research, whether it happens locally of far from home.
The overall impact on the economy is devastating and it might even generate conflicts between nations on the long term.

House confinement also affects physical health, due to lack of movements or to the inability to access necessary treatments and services. Checks and procedures are postponed, access to medications becomes arduous. And, similarly, we can imagine the ill consequences on our mental health and our psychological moods.

A rise in domestic violence, divorces, intergenerational conflicts within the family and disputes with the neighbors can be foreseen.
And there is also the political significance of restricting fundamental freedoms to be considered.

This reflection is not meant to be a direct critique of a specific policy. Rather, it is in attempt to highlight how the ethical implications of the current pandemic have a wide scope.
All the examples just stated are goods that contribute to a just and flourishing society. Tragically, whatever we chose to do will deprive us of some of them.