RT Article
T1 Libertarian approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic
JF Bioethics
VO 36
IS 4
SP 445
OP 452
A1 Cato, Susumu
A1 Inoue, Akira
A2 Inoue, Akira
LA English
YR 2022
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1800525206
AB 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.
K1 Pandemic
K1 Market
K1 Libertarianism
K1 Justice
K1 Freedom
K1 Covid-19
DO 10.1111/bioe.13007