Attitudes to the Global Pandemic from the Standpoint of Moral Philosophy

It is evident that scholars of the social sciences and humanities, as well as economists, will continue to discuss for a long time severe consequences and adversarial effects of the Coronavirus or, as is well known by its new label, the COVID-19, on both individuals and societies. Undoubtedly, such an invisible and invincible particle, almost unknown before, has virtually sapped all the energies of natural scientists and health experts, while rendering the leaders of the international world helpless and desperate with its devastating impact on social and economic lives of the entire globe. With the sudden appearance and rapid spread of this fatal virus, which has eventually created for itself, what is known as a life of new normal, all the nations across the globe have begun, out of necessity, re-arranging and re-adjusting their individual and social activities in accordance with the dictates of this new normalcy. As people are currently struggling to conduct their daily affairs according to these newly imposed conditions of the COVID-19, they are facing tremendous challenges and difficulties in coping, on the one hand, with the necessary demands and restrictions of the authorities and, on the other, with the fear and anxiety of uncertainty. Consequently, depending on their perception and understanding of this detrimental virus, people display various attitudes and behaviors in this new situation. Some of them, for instance, remain very confident, strong and forward-looking, since they view this crisis as a test or a trial, which, they believe, can be overcome with perseverance. Some others, however, become very worried and helpless, as they see it as a calamity or a punishment or even the end of the time, which, they fear, is unstoppable and uncontrollable. All of these different perceptions, behaviors and attitudes, that are exhibited by people in the aftermath of this pandemic, as well as their possible consequences, will be evaluated in this paper from the standpoint of moral philosophy.