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Formal Epistemology Meets a Coronavirus: Rational Decision and the Response to Covid-19

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Ethical Public Health Policy Within Pandemics

Part of the book series: The International Library of Bioethics ((ILB,volume 95))

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Abstract

Techniques from formal epistemology can be used to provide decision support during the formulation of societal policy responses to pandemics such as Covid-19. The complexity of these decisions arises from multiple sources including incompatible values of stakeholders. These differences in values result in conflicting objectives which can be studied using formal multicriteria decision analysis. An important component of multicriteria analysis is the construction of an objectives hierarchy (OH) to represent the conflicting values. This paper points out the benefits of constructing such a hierarchy through public deliberation. It shows all stakeholders where tradeoffs must be made between divergent values such as halting disease spread and unfettered economic activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA

    Sahotra Sarkar

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  1. Sahotra Sarkar
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Correspondence to Sahotra Sarkar .

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  1. Department of Philosophy, Marymount University, Arlington, VA, USA

    Michael Boylan

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Sarkar, S. (2022). Formal Epistemology Meets a Coronavirus: Rational Decision and the Response to Covid-19. In: Boylan, M. (eds) Ethical Public Health Policy Within Pandemics. The International Library of Bioethics, vol 95. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99692-5_3

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