Moralization and Mismoralization in Public Health

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21702665
AutoresSteven R Kraaijeveld (0000-0002-6338-6305, Wageningen University & Research, autor de correspondencia), Euzebiusz Jamrozik (0000-0001-5940-602X, Johns Hopkins University)
Año2022
Volumen25
Número4
Páginas655-669
Fecha de publicación2022-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaMedicine Health Care and Philosophy (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1386-7423 • E-ISSN: 1572-8633
EditorialSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s11019-022-10103-1
PMID36045179
OpenAlexW4293786415
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas13
Referencias citadas104

Moralization is a social-psychological process through which morally neutral issues take on moral significance. Often linked to health and disease, moralization may sometimes lead to good outcomes; yet moralization is often detrimental to individuals and to society as a whole. It is therefore important to be able to identify when moralization is inappropriate. In this paper, we offer a systematic normative approach to the evaluation of moralization. We introduce and develop the concept of ‘mismoralization’, which is when moralization is metaethically unjustified. In order to identify mismoralization, we argue that one must engage in metaethical analysis of moralization processes while paying close attention to the relevant facts. We briefly discuss one historical example (tuberculosis) and two contemporary cases related to COVID-19 (infection and vaccination status) that we contend to have been mismoralized in public health. We propose a remedy of de-moralization that begins by identifying mismoralization and that proceeds by neutralizing inapt moral content. De-moralization calls for epistemic and moral humility. It should lead us to pull away from our tendency to moralize—as individuals and as social groups—whenever and wherever moralization is unjustified

Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Humility · Medical law · Normative · Philosophy of medicine · Political science · Public health · Sociology · Law · Medicine · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy