| Aristotle argues in Nicomachean Ethics that every ethical virtue is concerned with two conditions, one involving excess and the other deficiency. To Aristotle, finding a balance by “maintaining the Golden Mean” could seem appropriate, both at the micro (individual) and macro (societal) levels. A society should prioritize health, as well as employment since the lack of the second, might create problems in the first. The recent comment of the World Health Organization (2020) that in the post-Covid era, society will face a critical issue of psychosocial consequences clearly shows the imbalance of a choice between health and employment.
Aristotle's concept of the “Golden Mean” seems relevant in today's hard decisions. There is a need to find a balance between protecting the health and respecting human rights. A quarantine is a legitimate state policy when the health systems are at emergency levels, but the state must also care for the well-being of individuals experiencing quarantine. This balancing of rights was foreseen in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (2015), which speaks of limiting rights to respect the rights and freedoms of others while at the same time recognizing that each of us has “duties to the community.” Thus, co-responsibility further refers to a moral obligation to one another by being accountable for our own words and actions. |
Article continued at https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/scc.2020.0075
I fully agree with what the article is presenting. I think this topic is always difficult to navigate because I do feel like we should do what's best for everyone in situation and quarantining is the best way to get the person who is infected recovered and not being able to spread it to others around them. I do also understand that many people are against quarantine because of the lack of social interaction. I just wish people were less selfish in situations like these, it's just prolonging the issue. This is a really great article Pranathi!
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