Topics: Ecology, Epidemiology, Epistemology, Philosophy of Medicine, Philosophy of science
Keywords: Causation, Ecology, Epidemiology, Pandemic, Philosophy of medicine, Scientific modelling
In the understanding and prediction of a pandemic phenomenon, epidemiology is obviously the dedicated discipline. However, epidemiological models look at what we might call the proximate causes of the pandemic. On the other hand, the ultimate causes, those of an ecological, evolutionary, and socio-economic nature, are often too simplified or reduced to “minor” variables in epidemiological models. In this article, in dealing with a pandemic, we want to support the need to extend the study and design of responses to the ultimate causes and the disciplines that investigate them, with the hope of building an integrated approach for the future.
The main goal of this article is to offer a different perspective on what are the possible causes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally (and in the first instance) the pandemic phenomenon has been approached as a medical/epidemiological problem. This is obviously understandable and also reasonable. In fact, this type of approach allows the scientific community and, in turn, policymakers to understand some salient aspects of the pandemic phenomenon that not only offer an epistemic advantage but…
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