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Let’s Insert Some Philosophy into the Response to the Pandemic
…and the definition of “socialism.”
It shouldn’t be a political debate, but somehow it is. What should we as a society do in response to the Coronavirus pandemic? Seems obvious to anyone with any humanity: save people’s lives. Strangely, some feel we shouldn’t spend efforts to save people’s lives — in particular, right-wingers from the US, UK, and Brazil. Some are even hostile to attempts to help people survive the pandemic. We need to insert some philosophical analysis into this to understand it.
Two very different responses to the pandemic
The bizarre political differences on the Coronavirus pandemic has led to two very different responses. Some societies’ governments responded by taking steps recommended by scientists to save lives: establishing quarantines and requiring the wearing of face masks. Other societies’ governments responded by ignoring scientists and doing little or nothing to save lives, muttering stuff about “the economy” being more important. We can shorthand these different responses to people first and “the economy” first.
The two very different responses led to two very different results.
Two very different priorities
