Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Is it ethical to stockpile groceries during the coronavirus crisis?
Position1 of 3›

Yes, it is ethical to stockpile groceries

This position holds that it is ethical to stockpile groceries during the pandemic. It argues that you have a right to protect yourself and your family — that you do not owe it to strangers to ensure their needs are met — and that stockpiling is a reasonable, instinctive response to crisis.

Supporting arguments · 4

  1. Stockpiling is driven by one's instinctive need for survival
    During times of crisis, people can easily go into survival mode. When there is uncertainty all around and it has been widely established that practices such as stockpiling can potentially be life-saving, people are willing to follow this advice even if it is not necessarily true. But, it is unfair to blame people for such actions that are solely driven by their survival instinct.
  2. Stockpiling ensures that your loved ones are provided for
    During uncertain times, it is only expected of one to put their family's needs first. By stockpiling, one could ensure that their family members were provided for and this could ease the level of panic in their homes.
  3. When everyone else is doing it, it is only reasonable to follow them
    As humans, we have always relied on each other to find innovative and effective solutions during tough situations. During a worldwide pandemic, it is natural for people to resort to this established habit of following examples. Stockpiling became one such habit where the actions of a few influenced many.
  4. Vulnerable people are more likely to stockpile due to anxiety
    In the UK the elderly have expressed increasaed anxiety in regards to accessing essentials due to the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, the number of people who report their well-being as affected due to this increased consistently with the age demographic in the UK. Does this mean we are to blame them as equally as we blame others for stockpiling? Should we not allow vulnerable people with a lack of access to stockpile for their own safety and peace of mind?