The Idea of common good vs. Individual

Abstract

Common good being a notion that existed more than 2000 years, it includes environments, social systems and institutions that human being depend on for beneficial tasks. In the health sector, it involves an affordable and accessible system of healthcare and system effectiveness for public security and safety. Common good could be applied in reinforcing other social prejudices and pressures. In most cases, blames are put on particular group leaving another party out of blame this enables the party to apply as a means of managing fear and anxiety around ailment. Since common good is beneficial to entire society, the study will focus on how epidemic disease offers an ideal lens on the common right, blame, and scientific theory. 

Introduction

In the society that has people who embrace modest sacrifices due to the public good or contentious society having a selfish group that protects personal benefits, many patients having epidemic ailment suffer due to proper care and blames towards a particular group. Since the entire society benefits from a common good, everyone should be willing to respond to urges that we unite in establishing and maintaining common good. Many scientists have identified obstacles and notions concerning many ailments in the healthcare. There exist over five pieces of evidence on the epidemic ailments in the health care.

First, according to philosopher Rene Girardi, the introduction of the vaccine in the US for reduction of chicken pox, pertussis and measles played a significant role. After a while, the vaccinators and vaccines received deep mistrust from actors like Jimmy Carrey and Jenny McCarthy. The blame was laid on industrial nature contamination where they claimed that the vaccine was combined with measles- rubella-mumps to lead to autism. While others argued that nurses killed, people by cholera and applied the vaccine with the aim of sterilizing Muslims. This fear related to vaccine led to losing of many lives (Colgrove, 2004). The philosopher advised that for the blame and fear cycle to end the establishment of scapegoat’s innocence was vital.

The incident of Smallpox outbreak that arose in New York and Brooklyn led to health officials to volunteer and visit every house and workplaces to stop the disease by application of mass vaccination (Farmer, 1992). Since the health authorities believed that the strategy was best in preventing the spread and providing cure at the right moments, they public gained cooperation to curb with the ailment. However, there arose blames and legal cases pertaining the vaccination. This issue led to detaining of Mary Mallon as she was branded as the disease carrier despite her being an immigrant woman working in New York (Colgrove, 2004). The society blamed that the vaccination was based on self- interest thus creating fear in everyone. The disease emerged again leading to philosophers and lawyers to apply a quarantine process to curb the disease. The philosophers blamed the political tensions existence between the state and New York over health policies control.

The third evidence includes the outbreak of AIDS, which was associated with a human-made virus caused by biological warriors (Nelkins & Gilman, 2010). The blame was directed on political adversaries in light to freeze American-Soviet relationship during the 1985 summer (Farmer, 1992). The connections were mainly linked to political cartoonist namely Agaeva D. Prada. The blame exists globally where the disease was associated with dangerous lifestyle, immoral behavior, drug use, on dioxin and the Agent Orange. Others associated the sickness due to the will of God, his wrath or divine retribution and judgment. The ailment was linked to poverty and social iniquities (Nelkins & Gilman, 2010). According to scientists, the disease was because of a virus due to the weak immune system thus placing blames to others was just a way of threatening the marginal group. 

America's public as a common good that needed to be dealt with immediately perceived the awaiting emergency of cholera. Americans continued to be worried about how public health was going to deal with risks imposed on public heath due to unrestricted immigration, specifically from unfavorable areas of southern Italy and Eastern Europe (Markel, 1997). The Congress was flooded with petitions advocating for restrictions on immigration on the course of public health. This was with perception to prevent Americans from cholera epidemic spread. The spread of epidemic could be blamed on government failure to impose a restriction on immigration policies to prevent public health risk. Society could place blame on politicization for not passing laws to restrict immigration, as Congress did not take any step even after hearing epidemic's cause (Markel, 1997). They believed on their scientific facts without taking considerations on the part of common society. This shows that congressional had a scientific fact about the epidemic cause of cholera other than immigrants. Americans believed that to maintain their public health, which was their social conditions they needed cooperative efforts for all to benefit (Markel, 1997). These efforts yielded results as common good all members of the community have access. All people had the privilege to enjoy benefits of good public health.

In public health experiment era, American medicine introduced vaccination in a bid to prevent polio. This occurred after consistency trials done by an American scientist, and a lot of money was donated to facilitate this scientific pursuit (Daniels, 2006). This was perceived of the public good to Americans as it was going to eliminate the problem of polio in society through a vaccine. The research on polio was deemed a project of Senator McCarthy and was not meet to involve the government for fear of making it a social thinking. The fears of outside interference, especially government doubt on the ability to either manage a major vaccine experiment or public’s readiness to maintain it (Daniels, 2006). The blame was on the scientist as the government was willing to support their research it had done in another part such as cancer and heart disease. Polio vaccine was seen as an assured immunity from disease. The government had anticipated many benefits for the society if the vaccine comes true thus, why it was ready to support venture despite the opposition (Daniels, 2006). This was due to polio being a raging epidemic that killed many in society hence needs to support vaccine for it. The government had to establish prospect of vaccinating children free of charge in a bid to save their society against the spread of polio.

Many people are brought believing that they have control over their destiny most their health. This norm underrates the influence of society. Sociology makes us sensitive that social beings are the very much product of our environment, on how we relate to each other. All people are influenced by social structure, for example, their social institutions and cultural institutions (Charatan, 2001). This helps us understand our human-created features of life compared to nature products. It should be viewed as a way of living while providing education, welfare, and health care as well as work. They agency and structure of society must be seen as interdependent human beings shape and concurrently developed via society (Charatan, 2001). Thus, the blame ought not to be in society.

Conclusion

The incidences discussed epidemic ailment explain considerable hindrances to people who apply ethic of the common good. The blames presented is a way of evading from the threats and problems faced. This appeals us to focus on the main questions about society type we need to be and the way of achieving that society. This also challenges health care sector and community at large to view themselves as members of same society thus valuing and respecting individual’s freedom in pursuing their personal goals, further and recognize these aims in common share.

References

Charatan, F. (2001). US settles biggest ever healthcare fraud case. BMJ , 322 (7277), 10-10. doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7277.10

Colgrove, J. (2004). FAIRCHILD AND COLGROVE RESPOND. American Journal of Public Health , 94 (8), 1294-a-1295. doi:10.2105/ajph.94.8.1294-a

Daniels, R. (2006). Polio— An American Story. Disability Studies Quarterly , 26 (1). doi:10.18061/dsq.v26i1.662

Farmer, P. (1992). AIDS and accusation: Haiti and the geography of blame . Berkeley: University of California Press. 

Markel, H. (1997). Quarantine!: East European Jewish immigrants and the New York City epidemics of 1892 . Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. 

Nelkins, D. S., & Gilman, S. L. (2010). Placing Blame for devastating disease. Blames , 1 (1). doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199599493.001.0001