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Young for old—old for young? Ethical perspectives on intergenerational solidarity and responsibility in public discourses on COVID-19

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  • Niklas Ellerich-Groppe

    (Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg)

  • Larissa Pfaller

    (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg)

  • Mark Schweda

    (Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg)

Abstract

In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, intergenerational solidarity and responsibility have become central points of reference in public discourses. However, the use of these concepts is often unclear and ambivalent: On one hand, older people are described as a vulnerable group whose protection requires sacrifices on the part of younger generations, e.g., regarding individual freedom and economic welfare. On the other, they appear as dispensable individuals that should relinquish their claims for the sake of the young and their future prospects. Our contribution offers an analysis of intergenerational solidarity and responsibility in public discourses on COVID-19. The leading question is how both concepts are used and how the corresponding claims can be justified or criticized. We first give an overview of notions of intergenerational solidarity and responsibility in current debates. In the next step, we provide a moral philosophical clarification of both concepts and their normative presuppositions. We then conduct a descriptive ethical discourse analysis of pertinent cases from three areas of European discourse: politics, civil society, and mass media. The analysis focuses on politico-moral claims and their normative premises, ambiguities, and biases. We argue that the discourse involves assumptions about old age and generational relations that need further clarification and justification. An analysis of intergenerational solidarity and responsibility in times of COVID-19 can help understand the dynamics of social cohesion in late-modern societies.

Suggested Citation

  • Niklas Ellerich-Groppe & Larissa Pfaller & Mark Schweda, 2021. "Young for old—old for young? Ethical perspectives on intergenerational solidarity and responsibility in public discourses on COVID-19," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 159-171, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujoag:v:18:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s10433-021-00623-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10433-021-00623-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vern L. Bengtson & Petrice S. Oyama, 2010. "Intergenerational Solidarity and Conflict," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: María Amparo Cruz-Saco & Sergei Zelenev (ed.), Intergenerational Solidarity, chapter 0, pages 35-52, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Barbara Barabaschi, 2015. "Intergenerational Solidarity in the Workplace," SAGE Open, , vol. 5(4), pages 21582440156, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Marja Aartsen & Matthias Kliegel & Morten Wahrendorf, 2022. "The European Journal of Ageing and the importance of science," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 1-2, March.
    2. Martine Lagacé & Anna Rosa Donizzetti & Lise Van de Beeck & Caroline D. Bergeron & Philippe Rodrigues-Rouleau & Audrey St-Amour, 2022. "Testing the Shielding Effect of Intergenerational Contact against Ageism in the Workplace: A Canadian Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-14, April.
    3. Burcu Çağla Ayabakan, 2022. "COVID-19 Update on Its Relationship to Aging, Active Aging, and Intergenerational Conflict in Europe," Journal of Social Policy Conferences, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 0(83), pages 225-247, December.

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