How Portugal Leap Frogged the U. S.

Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, et al

I have been following the vaccination stats, comparing Portugal and the U.S., on a regular basis. We have family visiting from the States in September and though vaccinated, recent recommendations from the EU are cause for concern.

The Tortoise and the Hare

You might recall, Europe lagged well behind the U.S. when the Covid vaccine first became available. The E.U. choose to spend time reaching an agreement on fair distribution, rollout, and attempting to negotiate a better price from manufacturers. I recall Zooming with friends in the U.S. in February, March, and April who already had received their second shot. Frankly, I was jealous and we continued to scramble until receiving our vaccinations in May and June.

But it appears the tortoise has overtaken the hare. Not because Portugal has more resources…clearly it does not. Not because it has warehouses full of refrigerated vaccines waiting to expire. No, it is because the people of Portugal have been influenced by the philosophies of Hobbes, Rousseau, and even John Locke (who some libertarians have attempted to co-opt). Their allegiance to a social contract means that a greater percentage of Portuguese are now vaccinated than Americans.

A Social Contract

As I wrote before, the Portuguese commitment to family and the broader community (their collectivist nature) is far stronger than their sense of individualism. It is why when severe lockdowns were imposed, the vast majority of people complied. It is why the Portuguese (regardless of vaccination status) wear masks in stores, on public transportation, and on the streets. Yes, things have become laxer outside more recently. But a majority of locals (unfortunately not tourists) continue to wear their masks. It is also why, the vast majority of Portuguese go to the vaccination centers to be vaccinated. They don’t need to be bribed or coerced. They may even be young and healthy. However, they understand that others in their society are not. They have an obligation to protect them. It is a social contract:

Social contract theory says that people live together in society in accordance with an agreement that establishes moral and political rules of behavior. Some people believe that if we live according to a social contract, we can live morally by our own choice and not because a divine being requires it…

Social contracts can be explicit, such as laws, or implicit, such as raising one’s hand in class to speak. The U.S. Constitution is often cited as an explicit example of part of America’s social contract.  It sets out what the government can and cannot do. People who choose to live in America agree to be governed by the moral and political obligations outlined in the Constitution’s social contract.

Indeed, regardless of whether social contracts are explicit or implicit, they provide a valuable framework for harmony in society. — Ethics Unwrapped

The Religion Major in Me

Perhaps it is because I was a religion major that I look at the world the way I do. You see my university combined religion and philosophy into one department. As such, I took as many classes discussing Kant and Descartes as I did discuss Matthew and Luke. (It probably won’t surprise you that I smoked a pipe as I read their treatises in my freshman and sophomore years…but I digress.) Also, because it was a small school and the department was small, many of my classes were 6 or 8 students sitting in a circle with a professor debating ethics, reason, consent, and authority. And because it was a university affiliated with the Lutheran church, while I no longer identify as a Christian, I do hold that there are moral imperatives. Among them, that I am not the center of the universe, that in fact, I have a responsibility beyond myself.

I am not suggesting that Portugal is unique in its acceptance of a social contract. Frankly, I think the U.S. is further out on the fringes of the bell curve than most other nations. I can only hope that all those folks that think the government has no place in their lives*, and that free enterprise is the solution to all societal ills, don’t have a problem when businesses impose rules. Proof of vaccination to return to work or attend a concert, to teach or work in a skilled nursing facility, etc. I suspect as insurers no longer pay medical claims related to unvaccinated people’s covid care or as employers increase health premiums on unvaccinated employees…things may change. The recent increase in vaccinations in the States may indicate they are already having an effect.

But I am saddened that it takes financial incentives and penalties to have gotten there.

*Of course many of these same people believe that government should control the reproductive rights of women.