Re:Pfizer's oral Covid-19 antiviral cuts hospitalization, de...
by mherdeg on Friday November 05, 2021 @11:01AM
(#29120246)
> which is the main remaining threat to rational society
What is a "rational society" and what threatens it?
My default view is Rawlsian: I'd like to live in a society which maximizes the well-being of the least well-off people, even if that's not currently me. In that framework one threat from a pandemic is that some at-risk people might die (people with some health conditions will die when infected and may not respond well to vaccination); that threat can be mitigated if people develop treatments, apply nonpharmaceutical interventions like indoor masking, and participate in community inoculation.
There are other very different notions of a "rational society". In some, the premature death of people who are elderly, medically at-risk, or choose to avoid vaccination might be preferred outcomes. Hmmm.
What is a "rational society" and what threatens it?
My default view is Rawlsian: I'd like to live in a society which maximizes the well-being of the least well-off people, even if that's not currently me. In that framework one threat from a pandemic is that some at-risk people might die (people with some health conditions will die when infected and may not respond well to vaccination); that threat can be mitigated if people develop treatments, apply nonpharmaceutical interventions like indoor masking, and participate in community inoculation.
There are other very different notions of a "rational society". In some, the premature death of people who are elderly, medically at-risk, or choose to avoid vaccination might be preferred outcomes. Hmmm.