van Basshuysen, Philippe and White, Lucie (2021) How Philosophers of Science Violated Their Epistemic Duties During the SARS-CoV-2 Crisis. [Preprint]
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2021 Draft Paper How Philosophers of Science Violated Their Epistemic Duties During the SARS-CoV-2 Crisis.pdf Download (269kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Were governments justified in imposing lockdowns to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic? We argue that a convincing answer to this question is to date wanting, by critically analyzing the factual basis of a recent paper, “How Government Leaders Violated Their Epistemic Duties During the SARS-CoV-2 Crisis” (Winsberg et al. 2020). In their paper, Winsberg et al. argue that government leaders did not, at the beginning of the pandemic, meet the epistemic requirements necessitated to impose lockdowns. We focus on Winsberg et al.’s contentions that knowledge about COVID-19 resultant projections were inadequate; that epidemiologists were biased in their estimates of relevant figures; that there was insufficient evidence supporting the efficacy of lockdowns; and that lockdowns cause more harm than good. We argue that none of these claims are sufficiently supported by evidence, thus impairing their case against lockdowns, and leaving open the question of whether lockdowns were justified.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | COVID-19, lockdown, philosophy of science, evidence, experts | |||||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Causation General Issues > Evidence General Issues > Models and Idealization General Issues > Philosophers of Science |
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| Depositing User: | Mr. Philippe van Basshuysen | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 10 Jan 2021 03:15 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 10 Jan 2021 03:15 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 18584 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Causation General Issues > Evidence General Issues > Models and Idealization General Issues > Philosophers of Science |
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| Date: | 8 January 2021 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/18584 |
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