American Philosopher: We need a comprehensive rebuilding that takes advantage of the lessons of the Corona pandemic

With the increase in procedures to confront the Corona pandemic, the pandemic crisis seemed to be a "huge test" for the globalization and philosophies that have prevailed in the contemporary world since the Second World War such as "the free market" and the principle of "non-interference of the state in the economy", at a time when societies invaded by Corona live a state of Shock and fear that the virus will destroy their people.

The pandemic encouraged many thinkers in the western world to think about the ideas prevailing in their societies, and many of them made a self-criticism from the reality of experiencing the pandemic world and its troubles.

In his lengthy essay on his personal blog, American academic and philosopher Gregory Fernando Papas considers the current crisis an opportunity to bring about profound changes in contemporary society, but it may also mean an opportunity for the authoritarian, reactionary, and narrow-minded.

Papas believes that it is very difficult to predict the future of the world in light of the pandemic, in return, "We must instead review the lessons we learn, so that we do not forget our common experience."

The University of Texas academic says the current turmoil gave us an opportunity to discover what would happen if the world simply stopped. “If we want to create a better country and a better world for our children, and if we want to make sure that we remain as a nation and a democracy, we must pay attention to what we feel now.”

The critic and editor-in-chief of American Philosophy Journal fears that the current uncomfortable feeling of strike and suspicion leads to the hectic desire to return to "normal life" again at any cost, considering that this may mean not benefiting from and learning from current lessons.

Systematic injustice
Papas says that the pandemic has already revealed systematic social injustice and failure to consider the consequences, and asks loudly about the kind of changes required if we want not only to live, "but to live a better life for everyone, and to be able to face the consequences of this epidemic and what will come next" .

He adds that the current exceptional circumstances make economic and racial injustice more visible. "Before the Corona pandemic, the United States had the largest number of prison inmates in the world, and they are often housed in overcrowded conditions." The health system and social safety net are weak compared to countries. Western and other democracy, and the crisis has left workers facing a difficult choice between letting their families go hungry or go to work with the potential for infection. 

The American philosopher says that if philosophical thinking is beneficial, it is because this reflection is what drives the questions of reality, knowledge, politics, values ​​and their relationships, and not because it contains definitive answers.

The crisis of democracy
The American philosopher says that health, economics and politics are interconnected and interrelated fields. An unfair economic or political system has consequences for the health of society and vice versa, especially in a health system that is for-profit and does not infringe on the values ​​of equality.

Papas considers that the overlap of values ​​at the time of the pandemic is an opportunity to test the actual priorities and the degree of tyranny or true democracy in society and the state. 

Pappas continues his long review, considering that the pandemic revealed the tendency of many to search for a single cause such as Satan, neoliberalism, imperialism, or modernity, and to hold them responsible and guilt, which leads to the assumption that there is a single treatment for social problems.

However, he says that the treatment needs a more comprehensive and pluralistic approach, and a society that recognizes the links between our most serious problems, such as structural injustice, neoliberalism, and global warming, without slipping towards reduction and excessive simplification that leads to counterproductive results. 

Because epidemics and pandemics affect all aspects of life, there is a need for many experiences that must be considered together in treating the problem from multiple perspectives and disciplines.

Humans are ordinary beings
. Pappas considers the pandemic to give us an opportunity to think of humans as living beings in the environment and nature in which other beings also live, noting that "life is not guaranteed, uncertain or stable, and social cohesion between human beings cannot be dispensed with." This requires more From humility and social responsibility, and "the radical view of democracy as a way of life with a more environmental perspective".

Frank Snowden, author of "Epidemics and Society ... From Black Death to the Present," is quoted as saying that "epidemics are a class of diseases that appear to carry a mirror in front of people, and that the moral relationships we have toward one another appear," which we already see today.

Papas stresses that we live in a connected and risky world, "and no amount of technological progress or separation from nature or others can protect anyone from the consequences."

The author affirms that technology is part of nature as well, and it is neither something external to us nor subject to our control, there is "a symbiotic or organic relationship between humans, nature and the environment, and for this reason the effects of global warming can be interpreted as messages addressed to us by other parts of nature" .  

"Our entire lifestyle has been severely disrupted around the world," he added. While many strive to produce a vaccine, we need to think about it later. Will we go back to old ways of living or learn the lessons of the pandemic and change our daily habits? Considering that the way we live will lead to a new epidemic again.

Human fragility
The American academic considers that the pandemic made humans realize that fragility, disease and death are an integral part of the reality in which they live, adding that the pandemic called on citizens to change their habits and make some sacrifices, and many of them will do so out of self-interest (to avoid infection) while others respond due to Law.

Papas considers that this response does not reflect real democratic motives, because a democratic society is not supposed to separate private and public interests in this way. On the other hand, we should think of others by means that include social solidarity that benefits everyone even if it costs individuals more, adding that The pandemic has proven that "the only way to survive is by caring for one another."

Papas believes that there is an urgent need for a serious rebuilding at all levels, including institutions, contexts, circumstances, relationships, and even lives and values, and he says that the required revolution goes beyond politics and vaccine for radical treatment that prevents future epidemics. 

Privatizing health
In his interview with the American nonprofit "Truth Out", the thinker and linguist Noam Chomsky, a professor of linguistics at the University of Arizona's MIT and author of more than 120 books and thousands of articles, discussed how "neoliberal capitalism itself stands behind the dealings Failed the United States with the Corona pandemic. "

Chomsky says that the epidemic was expected long before the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, but that the anticipatory measures needed to deal with such a crisis were prevented by the dire necessities of an economic system that did not care to prevent a future catastrophe because that was not economically profitable.

The American thinker - known for his sharp criticism of what he calls "brutal liberalism" and the foreign policy of his country's governments - explains that the United States has the worst record in responding to the crisis, indicating that scientists have warned of the pandemic for years, especially since the SARS epidemic in 2003, and the time has been a good time since then to start In implementing rapid response systems in preparation for outbreaks and allocating the necessary backup power, initiatives could also have been taken to develop defenses and treatment patterns for related viruses. 

Chomsky continues, but scientific understanding is not enough, "There must be someone catching the ball and running with it," but this option was canceled due to the diseases of the contemporary social and economic system.