Pandemic! COVID-19 Shakes the World by Slavoj Žižek

He reminds us that science is itself divided about the correct approach to the pandemic. Scientists must take care not to overreach-“the claims of science should be limited so as not to pose a threat to human freedom and dignity”. Fourth, he asks questions about the interface between science and politics. But the extent to which we will choose death over “bare life” remains uncertain. That determination to save lives at all cost seems to be diminishing. And “we seem to be ready to sacrifice everything for bare life”. Žižek's third theme concerns us as human beings: “we in the west less and less accept death as part of life”. He also believes that democracy under various forms of lockdown has been “de facto abolished” because the shared space of our communication and interaction is now under private control. Žižek predicts that “new forms of class struggle will erupt”. The pandemic propelled into visibility what was already slowly becoming apparent-a new class of economically marginalised migrant workers, a “geo-social class”, which governments seemed to consider as surplus to existence. He emphasises the “absurd capitalist crisis” that has ensued. Second, the pandemic arrived at a particular economic moment. Our present predicaments arise “from the collaborative functioning of a system, but do not belong to any one part of that system”. There is no single cause that can entirely explain it. This complexity is important for understanding the origins of the present crisis. “One should insist on the basic unity of the three domains”, he argues. First, the real nature of this emergency is, according to Žižek, a “crucial ideological and political battle” across three domains-the pandemic, an ecological crisis, and racism. Several themes deserve discussion outside the philosophy classroom. He now has a new book of reflections about the events of the past year- Pandemic! 2 Chronicles of a Time Lost. The story of COVID-19 vaccines is one example. But Žižek was correct to suggest that “even horrible events can have unpredictable positive consequences”. On the contrary, COVID-19 has sharpened rivalries, weakened alliances, and intensified nationalisms. He was sadly wrong to suggest that the pandemic would precipitate the birth of a new global solidarity “based on trust in the people and in science”. A philosopher's way of saying that absence might make the heart grow fonder. Žižek wondered if physical distancing might “strengthen the intensity of our link with others”. It would be a mistake to search for a deeper meaning to COVID-19 (“it just happened”). The pandemic would not make us any wiser. In Pandemic! COVID-19 Shakes the World, he offered some provisional predictions. Slavoj Žižek was one of the first philosophers to write about COVID-19. The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific.

The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia.The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

Pandemic! COVID-19 Shakes the World by Slavoj Žižek