Philosophy in The Era of Coronavirus

Philosophy in The Era of Coronavirus
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Abstract
Philosophy is of great importance in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic despite not providing more practical solutions as much as other disciplines such as medicine. Philosophy, as a discipline, enables one to make sense of a scene in nature, potentially influencing one's reaction. One of the roles of philosophy in the COVID-19 era is to remind humankind of their vulnerabilities despite their perceived superiority. With a mindset familiar with human vulnerability, the reaction to an emergency such as COVID-19 becomes less rampant. Philosophy also reminds humankind of their biological limit and garners the courage to face death when the rate is high. Public health interventions including lockdown, quarantine, social distancing, and even mandatory mask mandates would always be ethics questions. Governments and public health authorities would require philosophers' expertise to devise public health interventions that strike a balance between ethics and the effectiveness of the intervention.
Keywords: Philosophy, COVID-19, vulnerabilities, death, ethics, public health
Philosophy in the Era of Coronavirus
COVID-19 is a novel pandemic, implying that its understanding is not confined to one specific discipline but rather requires interdisciplinary effort. Some disciplines, however, have played a significant role in the wake of the pandemic, such as medicine, epidemiology, computer science, among other sciences. The role of different disciplines, such as economics, philosophy, and even politics, should not be overlooked despite not directly impacting the crisis. Philosophy essentially enables humans to perceive nature, the environment, and humankind in a manner that makes sense (Lourdes Velázquez, 2020). The knowledge of philosophy comes into play while trying to understand the exposed vulnerabilities of humanity, interpretation of the interventions that governments have imposed to curb the spread concerning ethics, and helping humans come to terms with death that has become rampant during the pandemic.
When COVID-19 hit in the early months of 2020, the whole world was brought into a moment of standstill. In a world that humans once perceived themselves to be superior to all, few believed that a virus, despite being microscopic, could bring humankind to its knees. COVID-19 concurred with philosophy and philosophers that despite their perceived superiority, humanity is full of vulnerabilities and is fragile even in the face of such microorganisms as the COVID-19 virus (Anbeek,...