Beyond Good and Bad: Rethinking Solidarity and Coercion in Public Health

This event is a collaboration event with Western Health Sciences - Western Centre for Bioethics
Title: Beyond Good and Bad: Rethinking Solidarity and Coercion in Public Health

Abstract:

Abstract: We often use certain terms as if, in using them, they contain a decided moral judgment of an action. Especially in public health ethics, this is not always the case, as shown most starkly by recent (mis)use of the terms “solidarity” and “coercion” to label, and thereby judge, public health actions responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this talk I present a recently published paper in which I and my co-authors analyze the terms solidarity and coercion, and argue that they cannot be used alone as moral judgements of public health actions. Rather, they are better considered as descriptive terms that are merely frequent proxies for normative terms such as justice or utility. I illustrate the argument by reference to three case studies: school reopenings in the USA, mandatory isolation measures in the UK, and vaccine distribution within the EU.

Presenters:

Dr. Tess Johnson
Postdoctoral research fellow at Western Bioethics Centre
Senior Researcher in the Ethics of Pandemic Preparedness, Surveillance, and Response
University of Oxford - Oxford Population Health

Additional Details:

Join us on Thursday, November 5th, 2026 · 3:30 - 4:30 PM EST

Hybrid Event with Online Live Broadcasting

Registered participants will receive the event link by email on the day of the event.

Questions?

Please email JCB, [email protected].