ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic, whose consequences will be felt in the long term, can be interpreted as the harbinger of what we call the pandemic era. This pandemic era is humanity's common ground, so the moral problems inherent in it are of interest to everyone from now on. It brought a set of moral challenges that cannot be ignored. 

This book - which emerged amidst the novel coronavirus crisis - is designed to fill the gap in the current literature on the topic, offering an original approach to its moral implications. It can be taken as a guide in the face of this pandemic era challenges for human relations.

The pandemic is a multifaceted phenomenon, and its debate involves a wide variety of practical philosophical concerns. All the chapters of this book, divided into four sections, aim to clarify its central aspects. Each chapter is an original approach to the debate's leading issues and relies on each most significant collaborator's knowledge. Also, they reflect their unique pandemic experiences under the scrutiny of philosophical unrest.

Since the pandemic is an ongoing event, Moral Challenges in a Pandemic Age will be of interest to teachers, students, and researchers interested in understanding the ethical dimension of the era we are experiencing. The problems addressed in this collection transcend the boundaries of the mere philosophical field, offering an innovative approach to individuals interested in discussing the pandemic from a moral point of view. Such a discussion encompasses the philosophical lot but is not restricted to it. Those interested in related areas such as psychology, sociology, biology, public health, education, anthropology, and cultural studies – to name a few – will find connections with parallel themes in this book. In addition, the collection brings a theoretically supported approach to several related discussions in a language accessible to anyone who wants to know more about the topic.

Foreword Maxwell J. Smith  1. The Pandemic Age: An Overview Evandro Barbosa  Part 1:  Rationality and Moral Emotions  2. On the Moral Psychology of the Pandemic Agent Anneli Jefferson and Lisa Bortolotti  3. Feeling Lonely: Towards a Phenomenological Account of Loneliness During the COVID-19 Pandemic Flavio Williges  4. From Fear to Anger: An Investigation of the Relationship Between Negative Emotions and Populism in the Context of COVID-19 Matheus Mesquita Silveira  5. ‘Nobody Makes it Alone’: Towards a Relational View of Resilience Martina Orlandi  Part 2: Virtues and Traits of Character  6. The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Language of Virtues Denis Coitinho  7. An Alternative Model of Ethics for Global Crises: Confucian Relationism Jana S. Rošker  8. Danse Macabre: Levity and Morality in a Plague Year Simone Gubler  9. Well-Being in the Time of COVID-19 Mauro Rossi  Part 3: Social Arrangements and Moral Conflicts  10. Delving into Denialism: Rationality, Emotion, Value, and Trust in Social Context Leonardo de Mello Ribeiro  11. COVID Rule Breakers and the Social Contract Peter R. Anstey  12. Chance, Consent, and COVID-19 Ryan Doody  13. Allocation of Scarce Intensive Care Units in COVID-19 and Ageism Alcino Eduardo Bonella  Part 4: After COVID-19 Life: Some Moral Issues  14. Faces of Responsibility and Moral Agency in a Pandemic Age Evandro Barbosa and Thais Alves Costa  15. Community, Care, and Social Recognition in a Post-Covid World of Work Joshua Preiss  16. The Emerging Field of Pandemic Ethics Marcelo de Araujo