Something to think about before the next time we are all told to stay home...
Many amateur philosophers have heard of the "trolley problem." But how many of you ever imagined you'd find yourself on the tracks?
For those that don't know, the "trolley problem" is a ethical though experiment. A trolley is barreling out of control down the tracks and will kill 3 people if it continues on its current course. You have the ability to flip a switch to change its course and if you do only one person will be killed. You've saved 3 but are directly responsible for the death of one in this case.
In the case of COVID-19, the government decided to flip the switch. However, how many lives were saved and lost because of that action is by no means easy to determine. It's quite possible that social distancing and shutting down the economy helped in the short term but only delayed the inevitable. On the other hand, the economic catastrophe that it created likely cost many lives as well.
For every 1% increase in unemployment, thousands more people die every year for various reasons. Never mind the lives ruined in other ways. A severe recession or depression costs lives in other ways as well from more starvation in poor countries to potential wars.
So the question is, should we be able to make our own choices or should the government make them for us? Should healthy people likely to experience no more than mild flu-like symptoms from COVID-19 be forced out of work and have their freedoms taken away or should the less healthy simply have the option to self-isolate and take the appropriate precautions to protect themselves?