Philosophy's Power During the Pandemic

“Philosophy is like sand, it gets everywhere”, a saying by Will Bentick protrudes the very
essence of philosophy during the present-day Coronavirus. The confusion as to where
Philosophy stands during the pervasive onslaught of the virus however, is evident. Articles on
top of articles try to justify their stand. The Irish Times is one of those who carefully articulated
an article that secures Philosophy’s utility amidst the pandemic (Coronavirus: How can
philosophy help us in this time of crisis?, 2020).

Philosophers are not medical doctors but they definitely are, sought after – especially because
philosophers, as said by Charlotte Blease, are the most practiced when it comes to self-isolation
– and isolation currently prevails globally. But, why does being the most skilled matter? Well,
such formidable experts – in this context, the Philosophers – are the reason behind the ‘real’ and
evident difference in terms of “political, healthcare, and personal decisions”.

Especially that such a global matter is occurring, as Skye Cleary specified, disruption,
disinformation, disbeliefs, and denial are opulent however, it does not change the fact that ‘we
share responsibility for one another”. Philosophers have provided sets of questions for
individual thinkers to ponder on – “How should we distribute financial aid? Who is an expert,
and why? What constitutes evidence in modelling the new virus?” – are just some questions from
Blease, to take into account. With such questions, people then become more vividly aware of the
situation, more conscious, and definitely more careful.

To condense the whole idea of Philosophy’s role, Vittorio Bufacchi says this;

“Perhaps the most important lesson philosophy can teach us in this time of crisis is that each
and every individual has a moral responsibility to do what’s right, notwithstanding what our
government tells us, or fails to tell us. The Hippocratic Oath, primum non nocere (first, do no
harm), does not apply exclusively to the medical establishment, it is a moral principle that
everyone must follow, to the best of our ability, even if the personal costs are high, and that
includes losing money on a holiday or missing out on the Cheltenham Festival.”

One revolving takeaway we can all obtain from the article is responsibility. With joint and
implemented responsibility, we will then be one step closer to saving humanity against the virus.
As hopeful as we can be, practicality still remains in the realms of reality – and Philosophy still
remains ubiquitous. That means, we could ask ourselves questions that provide perspective for
all questions we demand answers for – questions like: “How will I move forward? What matters
to me? Where are my priorities? Will I remain virtuous despite the fact that I’m
scared?”(Simmons, 2020). With these philosophical questions, we then get to decide our
succeeding courses of action.
We can be subservient to others by simply isolating ourselves even when we are not sick. We
can also learn more of what we can do – or quite possibly, expand our capabilities – such that
providing more help towards healthcare and the under-privileged.

Philosophy is again, everywhere. It might be safe to assume that decisions made during the
pandemic is deemed to be chosen through the influence of Philosophy – because we questioned
before deciding. As Socrates once said, “Philosophy is not a body of knowledge, but a mindset, a
questioning”. Philosophy works behind the curtains however, it definitely has the biggest impact
despite us, not being aware of it.

Sources:

Humphreys, J. (2020, March 26). Coronavirus: How can philosophy help us in this time of

crisis? The Irish Times; The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/coronavirus-

how-can-philosophy-help-us-in-this-time-of-crisis-1.4205889

Philosophy Is Like Sand, It Gets Everywhere by Will Bentinck – Ragged University. (2012,

October 28). Ragged University.

https://www.raggeduniversity.co.uk/2012/10/28/philosophy-sand-bentinck/

‌https://plus.google.com/+UNESCO. (2020, November 18). The importance of philosophy in

times of crisis, theme of World Philosophy Day 2020. UNESCO.

https://en.unesco.org/news/importance-philosophy-times-crisis-theme-world-philosophy-

day-2020

Colmenares, C., & Colmenares, C. (2020, April 13). Philosophy for the pandemic - Furman

News. Furman News. https://news.furman.edu/2020/04/13/philosophy-for-the-pandemic/