When Covid-19 first broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, no one suspected it would go beyond an epidemic. Within less than three months it had become a worldwide pandemic. In the first 15 months since it broke out in Wuhan, the disease grew exponentially, manifesting itself in different variants: Alpha (UK); Beta (South Africa); Gamma (Japan and Brazil); and Delta (India). In August 2021, confirmed cases were 204 million people worldwide, with about 4 million people deceased. Although the mortality rate has halted in China and slightly abated in continental Europe, Canada, Asia and South America, due to medical and social intervention strategies, it is steadily climbing in the USA and Africa. The first vaccine was ready only 12 months after the pandemic broke out, making it one of the quickest manufactured vaccines. For those who operate within a theistic framework, an avalanche of existential questions surfaced: Is this the end of the world? If so, does God, the omnipotent, omniscient and loving Divine being, not care about what seems to be the decimation of human beings on Planet Earth? If the Divine being cares, has it lost its power perhaps? Or, if it is still powerful, has it lost its affectivity? This article gives a theo-philosophical exploration of these questions to make “sense” of what seems like God’s silence amid the loud noise of the Corona virus. The article asks whether God could be blamed in what may seem like silence, and argues on the meaning of God’s “silence.” It then constructs a theodicy that dispenses God of any wrongdoing in the current pandemic.
{"title":"Does Covid-19 Rupture Theodicy? Theo-philosophical Musings","authors":"E. Mkhwanazi","doi":"10.25159/2413-3086/8551","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/8551","url":null,"abstract":"When Covid-19 first broke out in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, no one suspected it would go beyond an epidemic. Within less than three months it had become a worldwide pandemic. In the first 15 months since it broke out in Wuhan, the disease grew exponentially, manifesting itself in different variants: Alpha (UK); Beta (South Africa); Gamma (Japan and Brazil); and Delta (India). In August 2021, confirmed cases were 204 million people worldwide, with about 4 million people deceased. Although the mortality rate has halted in China and slightly abated in continental Europe, Canada, Asia and South America, due to medical and social intervention strategies, it is steadily climbing in the USA and Africa. The first vaccine was ready only 12 months after the pandemic broke out, making it one of the quickest manufactured vaccines. For those who operate within a theistic framework, an avalanche of existential questions surfaced: Is this the end of the world? If so, does God, the omnipotent, omniscient and loving Divine being, not care about what seems to be the decimation of human beings on Planet Earth? If the Divine being cares, has it lost its power perhaps? Or, if it is still powerful, has it lost its affectivity? This article gives a theo-philosophical exploration of these questions to make “sense” of what seems like God’s silence amid the loud noise of the Corona virus. The article asks whether God could be blamed in what may seem like silence, and argues on the meaning of God’s “silence.” It then constructs a theodicy that dispenses God of any wrongdoing in the current pandemic.","PeriodicalId":42048,"journal":{"name":"Phronimon","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44803935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
I attempt to evaluate rebel discourse(s), as opposed to mainstream, dominant discourse, on gender as demonstrated by marriage practices in Chinese societies, both contemporary and historical, vis-à-vis general Western, marriage practices. This is done discursive-analytically by way of cross-cultural analysis as methodology. Contributions on the theory of discourse are considered and applied. In this contribution, several rebel discourses on marriage during both post-Maoist Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) and former dynastic periods, are found to be emancipatory (with women refusing to partake in patriarchal constructs such as marriage) and progressive (with women having several sexual partners simultaneously). The hope is expressed that the profound insights unearthed from these rebel discourse(s) might be beneficial for Western feminisms. To this end, I utilise Zwart’s notion of cultural “mixing” and Derrida’s idea of the “sliding signifier” before making recommendations for improved public policy formulation. If the 21st century is indeed the Chinese century, such investigations are crucial
{"title":"Rebel Discourse(s) on Gender as Demonstrated by Contemporary and Historical Chinese Marriage Practices","authors":"Casper Lötter","doi":"10.25159/2413-3086/9177","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/9177","url":null,"abstract":"I attempt to evaluate rebel discourse(s), as opposed to mainstream, dominant discourse, on gender as demonstrated by marriage practices in Chinese societies, both contemporary and historical, vis-à-vis general Western, marriage practices. This is done discursive-analytically by way of cross-cultural analysis as methodology. Contributions on the theory of discourse are considered and applied. In this contribution, several rebel discourses on marriage during both post-Maoist Peoples’ Republic of China (PRC) and former dynastic periods, are found to be emancipatory (with women refusing to partake in patriarchal constructs such as marriage) and progressive (with women having several sexual partners simultaneously). The hope is expressed that the profound insights unearthed from these rebel discourse(s) might be beneficial for Western feminisms. To this end, I utilise Zwart’s notion of cultural “mixing” and Derrida’s idea of the “sliding signifier” before making recommendations for improved public policy formulation. If the 21st century is indeed the Chinese century, such investigations are crucial","PeriodicalId":42048,"journal":{"name":"Phronimon","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48339742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Ramose, M. Sethuntsa, W. M. Seerane, N. Chako, N. Maleka, C. M. Kekana, B. P. Hlafu, A. F. Martin
Nkomiso Tsalwa leri I ndzavisiso wa mavonelo, vutivi, matitwelo na ku pfumela ka vantshwa eka ku pfariwa ka tiko hi kwalaho ka xitsongwa-tsongwana xa Covid-19. Xikongomelo xa ndzavisiso lowu iku hoxa xandla—ku suka eka tlhelo ra tidyondzo ta ximunhu na ku hlanganela ka vanhu—kuya eka ku humelela loku anameke ka ku lwisana na Covid-19. Maendleno ya hina iku hlamusela mahungu ya Covid-19 ku suka eka lava vulavuleke timhaka ta vona, tlhandla ka mbirhi, ku veka erivaleni hiku katsakanya kumbe ha rinwe-ha-rinwe ra mahungu ya vanhu lava va nga va xiphemu xa ndzavisiso lowu. Mavekelo lawa ya le rivaleni ya ta katsa tinxaka to hundza rinwe ta mitirho, xikombiso, ta miehleketo, ta ku hlanganela ka vanhu na ta maehleketelelo. Tsalwa leri ari humesi njheka-njhekisano. Kambe I inhlamuselo ya mahungu yo huma eka leswi swi vuriweke. Ndzavisiso, ngopfu-ngopfu wa tidyondzo ta ximunhu no hlanganela ka vanhu awu boheka kuva wunga vi lowu tolovelekeke hikwalaho ko pfariwa ka tiko. Swipimelo swo pfariwa ka tiko hi swona swinga endla leswaku ku langutiwa eka vantshwa va vantima lava humaka eka ndhawu leyi hi kuya hi matimu yinga ya vanhu va ntima ntsena. Hikwalaho ka xivangelo lexi, ndzavisiso lowu wu ve lowunga anamangiku. Nakambe, tsalwa leri ari na xikongomelo xo engetela mavoleno, vutivi na matitwelo lama kumekeke kuva ya ri ya “vantshwa va vantima hinkwavo.” Ntsena, I ku hoxa xandla eka ku hlayiseka ka ntirho lowu tiyisisiweke eka ku humelela ka xiyimo xa xisayense lexi tshembisaka. Abstract This essay is an inquiry into the perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Young Black Adults towards Covid-19 and the lockdown. The motive for the inquiry is to make a contribution—from the perspective of the humanities and the social sciences—towards the success of the broad-based fight against Covid-19. Our approach is to present the narratives on Covid-19 by those who told their stories and then to present a commentary either per narrative or cumulatively. The commentary will be multidisciplinary; covering, for example, psychology, sociology and philosophy. This essay does not, therefore, present an argument. Instead, it is an interpretative commentary on the narratives. Research, especially in the humanities and the social sciences, was bound to be unusual as well as abnormal because of the lockdown restrictions. The restrictions account for the fact that only Young Black Adults in a specific historical Black township in South Africa were the point of focus. For this reason, the focus is severely limited. Accordingly, the essay bears no intention to extend the perceptions, knowledge beliefs and attitudes found in the area to all Young Black Adults. It is a contribution to the conservation of empirical material for use in propitious scientific conditions.
Nkomiso Tsalwa leri I ndzavisiso wa mavonelo，vutivi，matitwelo na ku pfumela ka vantshwa eka ku pfariwa ka tiko hi kwalaho ka xitsongwa-tsongwana xa新冠肺炎。我很高兴看到新冠肺炎。在新冠肺炎期间，中国有一个很好的地方。Mavenelo lawa ya le compareni ya ta katsa tinxaka to hundza rinwe ta mitirho，xikombiso，ta miehleketo，ta ku hlanganella ka vanhu na ta maehleketelelo。Tsalwa leri ari humesi njeka njekisano。坎贝，我是一个很好的朋友。恩扎维索·恩扎维索，恩戈普夫·恩戈普夫没有任何问题。Swipimelo是一个充满活力的人，他是一个语言的人，她是一个熔岩的人。Hikwalaho ka xivangelo lexi，ndzavisiso lowu wu ve lowunga anamangiku。Nakambe，tsalwa leri ari na xikongomelo xo engetela mavoleno，vutivi na matitwelo lama kumekeke kuva ya ri ya ya“vantshwa va vantima hinkwawa”。Ntsena，我很高兴看到xandla eka ku hlayiseka ka ntirho lowu tiyisisisiweke eka ku humelela ka xiyimo xa xisayense lexi tshambisaka。摘要本文调查了年轻黑人对新冠肺炎和封锁的看法、知识、态度和信仰。调查的动机是从人文科学和社会科学的角度为广泛抗击新冠肺炎的成功做出贡献。我们的方法是由讲述他们故事的人介绍关于新冠肺炎的叙述，然后按叙述或累计方式发表评论。评注将是多学科的；例如，涵盖心理学、社会学和哲学。因此，这篇文章没有提出论点。相反，它是对叙事的解释性评论。由于封锁限制，研究，特别是人文科学和社会科学的研究，必然是不寻常的，也必然是不正常的。这些限制解释了这样一个事实，即只有南非一个特定历史黑人小镇的年轻黑人成年人才是焦点。因此，重点受到严重限制。因此，本文无意将该地区的观念、知识信念和态度扩展到所有年轻的黑人成年人。它有助于在有利的科学条件下使用经验材料。
{"title":"Understanding Attitudes and Beliefs of Young Black Adults towards Covid-19 and Lockdown","authors":"M. Ramose, M. Sethuntsa, W. M. Seerane, N. Chako, N. Maleka, C. M. Kekana, B. P. Hlafu, A. F. Martin","doi":"10.25159/2413-3086/8612","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/8612","url":null,"abstract":"Nkomiso \u0000Tsalwa leri I ndzavisiso wa mavonelo, vutivi, matitwelo na ku pfumela ka vantshwa eka ku pfariwa ka tiko hi kwalaho ka xitsongwa-tsongwana xa Covid-19. Xikongomelo xa ndzavisiso lowu iku hoxa xandla—ku suka eka tlhelo ra tidyondzo ta ximunhu na ku hlanganela ka vanhu—kuya eka ku humelela loku anameke ka ku lwisana na Covid-19. Maendleno ya hina iku hlamusela mahungu ya Covid-19 ku suka eka lava vulavuleke timhaka ta vona, tlhandla ka mbirhi, ku veka erivaleni hiku katsakanya kumbe ha rinwe-ha-rinwe ra mahungu ya vanhu lava va nga va xiphemu xa ndzavisiso lowu. Mavekelo lawa ya le rivaleni ya ta katsa tinxaka to hundza rinwe ta mitirho, xikombiso, ta miehleketo, ta ku hlanganela ka vanhu na ta maehleketelelo. Tsalwa leri ari humesi njheka-njhekisano. Kambe I inhlamuselo ya mahungu yo huma eka leswi swi vuriweke. Ndzavisiso, ngopfu-ngopfu wa tidyondzo ta ximunhu no hlanganela ka vanhu awu boheka kuva wunga vi lowu tolovelekeke hikwalaho ko pfariwa ka tiko. Swipimelo swo pfariwa ka tiko hi swona swinga endla leswaku ku langutiwa eka vantshwa va vantima lava humaka eka ndhawu leyi hi kuya hi matimu yinga ya vanhu va ntima ntsena. Hikwalaho ka xivangelo lexi, ndzavisiso lowu wu ve lowunga anamangiku. Nakambe, tsalwa leri ari na xikongomelo xo engetela mavoleno, vutivi na matitwelo lama kumekeke kuva ya ri ya “vantshwa va vantima hinkwavo.” Ntsena, I ku hoxa xandla eka ku hlayiseka ka ntirho lowu tiyisisiweke eka ku humelela ka xiyimo xa xisayense lexi tshembisaka.\u0000Abstract\u0000This essay is an inquiry into the perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Young Black Adults towards Covid-19 and the lockdown. The motive for the inquiry is to make a contribution—from the perspective of the humanities and the social sciences—towards the success of the broad-based fight against Covid-19. Our approach is to present the narratives on Covid-19 by those who told their stories and then to present a commentary either per narrative or cumulatively. The commentary will be multidisciplinary; covering, for example, psychology, sociology and philosophy. This essay does not, therefore, present an argument. Instead, it is an interpretative commentary on the narratives. Research, especially in the humanities and the social sciences, was bound to be unusual as well as abnormal because of the lockdown restrictions. The restrictions account for the fact that only Young Black Adults in a specific historical Black township in South Africa were the point of focus. For this reason, the focus is severely limited. Accordingly, the essay bears no intention to extend the perceptions, knowledge beliefs and attitudes found in the area to all Young Black Adults. It is a contribution to the conservation of empirical material for use in propitious scientific conditions.","PeriodicalId":42048,"journal":{"name":"Phronimon","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48273372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The coronavirus outbreak is currently scrutinised by professional philosophers from different traditions and geographical areas. By focusing on several contributions from European academic philosophers, this article assesses whether such philosophical works manifest and reproduce, consciously or unconsciously, neocolonial and Eurocentric understandings of the Covid-19 pandemic. Particular attention will be given to Agamben’s and Žižek’s interpretations to show the role played in their analysis by reductionist and regressive constructions of the social world. I will then draw on several contributions from African and Africana philosophers (Gqola, Asante, More, West and Outlaw), to set up a theoretical space in which the social experiencing of the coronavirus outbreak, as well as the self-understanding of academic philosophers, could be positively reconceptualised. This act of resignification has its aim in promoting adequate forms of institutional analysis and professional engagement, and it points to the emancipatory task philosophy embodies in the global South
{"title":"Experiencing the COVID-19 outbreak socially: On some recent philosophical contributions","authors":"Sergio Alloggio","doi":"10.25159/2413-3086/8773","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/8773","url":null,"abstract":"The coronavirus outbreak is currently scrutinised by professional philosophers from different traditions and geographical areas. By focusing on several contributions from European academic philosophers, this article assesses whether such philosophical works manifest and reproduce, consciously or unconsciously, neocolonial and Eurocentric understandings of the Covid-19 pandemic. Particular attention will be given to Agamben’s and Žižek’s interpretations to show the role played in their analysis by reductionist and regressive constructions of the social world. I will then draw on several contributions from African and Africana philosophers (Gqola, Asante, More, West and Outlaw), to set up a theoretical space in which the social experiencing of the coronavirus outbreak, as well as the self-understanding of academic philosophers, could be positively reconceptualised. This act of resignification has its aim in promoting adequate forms of institutional analysis and professional engagement, and it points to the emancipatory task philosophy embodies in the global South","PeriodicalId":42048,"journal":{"name":"Phronimon","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43431215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Covid-19 pandemic has presented serious questions; not only of a medical-scientific nature, but of a deeply philosophical nature as well. Often, when faced with the unknown—whether in the form of an environmental catastrophe or a general health threat—finding effective ways to overcome our fear of the unknown yields important clues regarding not only the nature of our self-understanding as human beings, but also our all-too-human perceptions of Other(s). While the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been especially harsh on people living in conditions of extreme poverty and material deprivation, our collective response has (predictably) proceeded from a position that privileges the interests and lifestyles of the rich, the well-resourced and the politically connected, in a manner that sadly confirms the biblical prophecy: the poor will always be among you. This essay seeks to examine the impact of Covid-19 in South Africa. Its analytic focus proceeds from the perspective of Steve Biko’s conception of Black Consciousness philosophy. It seeks to argue that Biko’s humanist project of liberation offers important insights that can assist us in the normative quest for a society “with a more human face.”
{"title":"Thinking of Biko in the time of Covid-19","authors":"M. Cloete","doi":"10.25159/2413-3086/8766","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/8766","url":null,"abstract":"The Covid-19 pandemic has presented serious questions; not only of a medical-scientific nature, but of a deeply philosophical nature as well. Often, when faced with the unknown—whether in the form of an environmental catastrophe or a general health threat—finding effective ways to overcome our fear of the unknown yields important clues regarding not only the nature of our self-understanding as human beings, but also our all-too-human perceptions of Other(s). While the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been especially harsh on people living in conditions of extreme poverty and material deprivation, our collective response has (predictably) proceeded from a position that privileges the interests and lifestyles of the rich, the well-resourced and the politically connected, in a manner that sadly confirms the biblical prophecy: the poor will always be among you. This essay seeks to examine the impact of Covid-19 in South Africa. Its analytic focus proceeds from the perspective of Steve Biko’s conception of Black Consciousness philosophy. It seeks to argue that Biko’s humanist project of liberation offers important insights that can assist us in the normative quest for a society “with a more human face.”","PeriodicalId":42048,"journal":{"name":"Phronimon","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47604479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The essay examines the meaning and impact of Covid-19 in comparative relation to some of the experiences of the Black Death (1348–1350). It also presents and critically analyses actual case studies of pseudo-named people—in recognition and respect for confidentiality in research ethics—infected by Covid-19. “South Africa” is the primary but not the only focus of this essay. The thesis defended in this essay is that the “social distance” prescribed as a preventative measure to curb the spread of Covid-19 ought to be complemented by ethical “proximity to the other.” Kweli phepha, sizo bonakalisa iintlungu eziviwe ngabantu abaye basuleleka yintsholongwane ye Corona—iSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (Covid-19) ngelasemzini. Lentsholongwane ibaphazamise ngokwase moyeni nangokwase ngqondweni. Sizo phinda sijonge ukuba iCorona ingathelekiswa njani nokuba yohluke njani kwi medieval Black Death eyabulala abantu abaninzi mandulo. Abantu aba balisa amabali abo kweli phepha baphiwe amagama angewo wenyani ukuze sibahloniphe, nemfihlo zabo zingafikeleli kubantu ababaziyo.
{"title":"Coronavirus Pandemic: Fear of the Unknown, Shaking Psychological Well-being, Economy, Politics and Morality","authors":"M. Ramose, M. Sethuntsa","doi":"10.25159/2413-3086/8574","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/8574","url":null,"abstract":"The essay examines the meaning and impact of Covid-19 in comparative relation to some of the experiences of the Black Death (1348–1350). It also presents and critically analyses actual case studies of pseudo-named people—in recognition and respect for confidentiality in research ethics—infected by Covid-19. “South Africa” is the primary but not the only focus of this essay. The thesis defended in this essay is that the “social distance” prescribed as a preventative measure to curb the spread of Covid-19 ought to be complemented by ethical “proximity to the other.”\u0000 \u0000Kweli phepha, sizo bonakalisa iintlungu eziviwe ngabantu abaye basuleleka yintsholongwane ye Corona—iSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (Covid-19) ngelasemzini. Lentsholongwane ibaphazamise ngokwase moyeni nangokwase ngqondweni. Sizo phinda sijonge ukuba iCorona ingathelekiswa njani nokuba yohluke njani kwi medieval Black Death eyabulala abantu abaninzi mandulo. Abantu aba balisa amabali abo kweli phepha baphiwe amagama angewo wenyani ukuze sibahloniphe, nemfihlo zabo zingafikeleli kubantu ababaziyo.","PeriodicalId":42048,"journal":{"name":"Phronimon","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47771511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
None of the lockdown decisions made by governments in response to the Covid-19 pandemic can be considered to be self-evident outcomes of objective data. Executive members of each nation’s government considered the particular pandemic circumstances that they deemed to be important and relevant, and decisions were made based on limited epidemiological data in combination with a variety of contingent socio-political and economic variables. These kinds of decisions fall partly into the philosophical category of ethics, and they can be summarised under the umbrella question: What should we do? The precautionary principle must have played a large role in the decision-making process, considering the conspicuous lack of reliable data on which to base decisions. In this article, I turn to South Africa as a case study, and I tease out some of the precautionary factors that may have, in part, driven many major decisions prior to and during the South African lockdown. I argue that if the precautionary principle can be used as part of the justification for large-scale government interventions to save an unknown number of lives, then consistent use of the principle should warrant concerted responses by government to a variety of potential threats and problems in South Africa. I also argue that for government’s focus on saving lives to be consistent, preventative action in response to phenomena that take worryingly large numbers of lives annually, is necessary.
{"title":"To Save Lives: The Ethical Precedent set by South Africa’s Leadership during Lockdown","authors":"D. Pittaway","doi":"10.25159/2413-3086/8424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/8424","url":null,"abstract":"None of the lockdown decisions made by governments in response to the Covid-19 pandemic can be considered to be self-evident outcomes of objective data. Executive members of each nation’s government considered the particular pandemic circumstances that they deemed to be important and relevant, and decisions were made based on limited epidemiological data in combination with a variety of contingent socio-political and economic variables. These kinds of decisions fall partly into the philosophical category of ethics, and they can be summarised under the umbrella question: What should we do? The precautionary principle must have played a large role in the decision-making process, considering the conspicuous lack of reliable data on which to base decisions. In this article, I turn to South Africa as a case study, and I tease out some of the precautionary factors that may have, in part, driven many major decisions prior to and during the South African lockdown. I argue that if the precautionary principle can be used as part of the justification for large-scale government interventions to save an unknown number of lives, then consistent use of the principle should warrant concerted responses by government to a variety of potential threats and problems in South Africa. I also argue that for government’s focus on saving lives to be consistent, preventative action in response to phenomena that take worryingly large numbers of lives annually, is necessary.","PeriodicalId":42048,"journal":{"name":"Phronimon","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69125252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, where death, sickness and suffering persist, there is some hint that there is nothing so special about the human race that particularly makes it immune to decimation. This is at odds with the general feeling that there is something significant, purposeful and/or meaningful about human life. Thus, the question that immediately comes to mind is whether the present pandemic and the negative situations it presents, destroy any hope of attaining meaning in life. In this article, we critically examine how the Covid-19 pandemic affects meaning in life. While it is not far-fetched to assume that the pandemic, suffering, isolation, economic hardship, and so forth disrupt humanity’s abilities at creating moments of meaning in life, it is our claim that it does not destroy it altogether, as many persons have found new ways of creating such moments, albeit small, through self-sacrifice/care, solidarity, and more. Finally, we conclude that in the face of this tragedy, what humanity can best hope for is the continuous creation of moments of meaning in life in order to reduce despair and sustain hope, however small. We expect that this article will foster future discussions about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the question of meaningfulness.
{"title":"The Covid-19 Pandemic and Meaning in Life","authors":"A. D. Attoe, J. Chimakonam","doi":"10.25159/2413-3086/8420","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/8420","url":null,"abstract":"In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, where death, sickness and suffering persist, there is some hint that there is nothing so special about the human race that particularly makes it immune to decimation. This is at odds with the general feeling that there is something significant, purposeful and/or meaningful about human life. Thus, the question that immediately comes to mind is whether the present pandemic and the negative situations it presents, destroy any hope of attaining meaning in life. In this article, we critically examine how the Covid-19 pandemic affects meaning in life. While it is not far-fetched to assume that the pandemic, suffering, isolation, economic hardship, and so forth disrupt humanity’s abilities at creating moments of meaning in life, it is our claim that it does not destroy it altogether, as many persons have found new ways of creating such moments, albeit small, through self-sacrifice/care, solidarity, and more. Finally, we conclude that in the face of this tragedy, what humanity can best hope for is the continuous creation of moments of meaning in life in order to reduce despair and sustain hope, however small. We expect that this article will foster future discussions about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the question of meaningfulness.","PeriodicalId":42048,"journal":{"name":"Phronimon","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69125207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We contend that lockdown restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in South Africa have exposed deep divisions between citizens and the state, due in part to the neglect of citizenship education and to the neglect of our historical citizenship heritage. We propose in this paper two sources of appropriate normative guidelines, rooted in our common, collective history and ethics, which we ought to promote among citizens to reunite our people. We argue that citizenship education ought not only to be promoted actively in schools but that it must be reformed on the basis of two sets of foundational principles: a) Ubuntu; and b) the Freedom Charter. These encourage integration between citizens and subjects, and between citizens and the state; not to impose false universality from above, nor incoherent heteronomy from below, but to regulate these with cultural and historical continuity in transformation.
{"title":"Restorative Transformation after Lockdown: Freedom and Ubuntu in Civic Education","authors":"C. Allsobrook, Gugu Ndlazi","doi":"10.25159/2413-3086/8516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/8516","url":null,"abstract":"We contend that lockdown restrictions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in South Africa have exposed deep divisions between citizens and the state, due in part to the neglect of citizenship education and to the neglect of our historical citizenship heritage. We propose in this paper two sources of appropriate normative guidelines, rooted in our common, collective history and ethics, which we ought to promote among citizens to reunite our people. We argue that citizenship education ought not only to be promoted actively in schools but that it must be reformed on the basis of two sets of foundational principles: a) Ubuntu; and b) the Freedom Charter. These encourage integration between citizens and subjects, and between citizens and the state; not to impose false universality from above, nor incoherent heteronomy from below, but to regulate these with cultural and historical continuity in transformation.","PeriodicalId":42048,"journal":{"name":"Phronimon","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69125316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A global pandemic such as that of the 2020 Covid-19 corona virus, causing great suffering and loss of life, brings home the difficult conditions that make for our fragile human life. But the question that religious belief poses, about “natural evil” in a world created by a loving God, satirised by Voltaire in the 18th century, masks the more existential problem, the possibility of greater human solidarity. In the background is the Deist view of God complementing the “polite society” of mutual benefit and guaranteeing the latter’s benevolent outcome. It is a worldview, as Charles Taylor (2007) explains, that has put aside the premodern idea of human transformation, that was symbolised by religious virtuosi, saints, theophanies, and so on, now looked upon with suspicion by modernity. But the possibility of transformation, of a generous human response to suffering, is what is called for in a pandemic. In Camus’ novel, The Plague, we see the more authentic response that resists being boxed in by religious enthusiasts to a constricted and ideological affirmation of a cosmic picture that obscures the fault-lines of bourgeois society.
{"title":"Solidarity at Issue: Pandemics and Religious Belief","authors":"J. Giddy","doi":"10.25159/2413-3086/8568","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2413-3086/8568","url":null,"abstract":"A global pandemic such as that of the 2020 Covid-19 corona virus, causing great suffering and loss of life, brings home the difficult conditions that make for our fragile human life. But the question that religious belief poses, about “natural evil” in a world created by a loving God, satirised by Voltaire in the 18th century, masks the more existential problem, the possibility of greater human solidarity. In the background is the Deist view of God complementing the “polite society” of mutual benefit and guaranteeing the latter’s benevolent outcome. It is a worldview, as Charles Taylor (2007) explains, that has put aside the premodern idea of human transformation, that was symbolised by religious virtuosi, saints, theophanies, and so on, now looked upon with suspicion by modernity. But the possibility of transformation, of a generous human response to suffering, is what is called for in a pandemic. In Camus’ novel, The Plague, we see the more authentic response that resists being boxed in by religious enthusiasts to a constricted and ideological affirmation of a cosmic picture that obscures the fault-lines of bourgeois society.","PeriodicalId":42048,"journal":{"name":"Phronimon","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69124904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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