Professor John Haldane has advised the Pope on morality, which puts him in impressive company given the Pontiff’s better known guide on such matters.
He has warned that doing the right thing in response to the Covid-19 pandemic is not clear cut.
The approach so far has been to overwhelmingly prioritise saving lives over economic concerns and the human need for social contact.
Governments both in Westminster and Holyrood have cast dissenting voices to this as uncaring and selfish.
But people are now questioning whether we have got the balance right.
The issue has been brought into sharp focus with Nicola Sturgeon’s order to close bars and restaurants across central Scotland.
Industry leaders have warned thousands of jobs will be lost as a direct result.
Each one is a livelihood lost that in some cases will take years, if ever, to recover.
Younger generations will not just lose their jobs, they will also inherit crippling government debts as a result of lockdown.
And that will mean less money for the NHS and other public services in the future.
With no guarantee of a vaccine, societies around the world remain in limbo. But for how long?
Test, track and trace has fallen at the first hurdle as a means of suppressing the virus while continuing with life.
Deciding the best way forward presents a horrifying dilemma that goes to the heart of who we are as human beings and as a
community.
The least we can do is listen with humility to all points of view.
