Abstract

AbstractThis chapter explores the question of whether or not individual agents are under a moral obligation to reduce their ‘antimicrobial footprint’. An agent’s antimicrobial footprint measures the extent to which her actions are causally linked to the use of antibiotics. As such, it is not necessarily a measure of her contribution to antimicrobial resistance. Talking about people’s antimicrobial footprint in a way we talk about our carbon footprint may be helpful for drawing attention to the global effects of individual behaviour and for highlighting that our choices can collectively make a real difference. But can we be morally obligated to make a contribution to resolving a collective action problem when our individual contributions by themselves make no discernible difference? I will focus on two lines of argument in favour of such obligations: whether a failure to reduce one’s antimicrobial footprint is unfair and whether it constitutes wrongdoing because it is harmful. I conclude by suggesting that the argument from collective harm is ultimately more successful.

Highlights

  • Anti-microbial resistance and a decline in anti-microbial efficacy are urgent collective action problems

  • I am not suggesting that reducing our antimicrobial footprints by way of individual behavioural change is the best or most efficient way of decelerating antimicrobial resistance, since that is an empirical question

  • Antimicrobial resistance is a collective action problem in that it is the result of many different agents’ activities, it can only be solved by the concerted efforts of many different agents, and it seems rational for individual actors to free-ride because individual behavioural change is neither responsible for the problem’s occurrence nor could it ever remedy the problem

Read more

Summary

23.1 Introduction

Anti-microbial resistance and a decline in anti-microbial efficacy are urgent collective action problems. According to the World Health Organisation’s recommendations, concerted action on this issue requires efforts from a diverse array of actors: patients, drug prescribers and dispensers, hospitals, policy makers, and food producers (WHO 2001: 68–70, see Littmann and Viens 2015).

Schwenkenbecher
23.2 Antimicrobial Resistance as a Collective Moral Action Problem
23.3 Antimicrobial Footprints
23.4 The Argument from Unfairness
23.5 The Collective Harm Argument
23.6 Conclusion

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.