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Libertarian approaches to the COVID‐19 pandemic
Author(s) -
Cato Susumu,
Inoue Akira
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
bioethics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.494
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1467-8519
pISSN - 0269-9702
DOI - 10.1111/bioe.13007
Subject(s) - libertarianism , law and economics , autonomy , harm , context (archaeology) , value (mathematics) , political science , sociology , law , computer science , paleontology , machine learning , biology
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.