Libertarian approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic

This study examines the practical implications of libertarian theories of justice in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we show that the libertarian central value of freedom does not just include economic and political autonomy but also one's right to life. Secondly, we demonstrate th...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Authors: Cato, Susumu (Author) ; Inoue, Akira (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2022
In: Bioethics
Year: 2022, Volume: 36, Issue: 4, Pages: 445-452
IxTheo Classification:NCH Medical ethics
VA Philosophy
Further subjects:B Justice
B Covid-19
B Libertarianism
B Pandemic
B Market
B Freedom
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:This study examines the practical implications of libertarian theories of justice in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we show that the libertarian central value of freedom does not just include economic and political autonomy but also one's right to life. Secondly, we demonstrate that lockdown measures are acceptable to libertarianism if they are appropriately implemented. Nevertheless, in contrast to a utilitarian approach, libertarians reject excessive interventions, such as contact-tracing mobile apps, even if these promote people's welfare. Thirdly, we show that there is a broad spectrum of lockdown implementation methods based on differing interpretations of Lockean property rights. By comparing three kinds of libertarianism, we outline a set of libertarian proposals that use markets for the exchange of permission slips to go out during a lockdown. We then show that libertarianism offers a reasonable and non-conflicting resolution for the trade-off between health and people's freedom, thereby illustrating the suitability and legitimacy of a libertarian response to the current crisis.
ISSN:1467-8519
Contains:Enthalten in: Bioethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/bioe.13007