ABSTRACT
Some ethicists have argued that it is not useful to apply ethical theories to problems of risk. Although ethical theories focus on actions where outcomes and consequences are given, when confronted with problems of risk we lack that information. A better way to approach such problems is through a conceptual-normative analysis of responsibility. The 2020/2021 coronavirus pandemic is an example of the relevance of responsibility in problems of public health risks. The crisis has primarily been communicated in terms of science and numbers but gives rise to a number of ethical questions. This chapter discusses one of the most crucial questions in terms of ethical values in this context. The focus of the discussion is on the following questions. First, how should responsibility of governments and individuals be understood? Second, how should responsibility for the coronavirus pandemic be distributed? These questions are discussed against the background of different concepts and notions of moral responsibility.
