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In defence of fear: COVID-19, crises and democracy.
- Source :
- Critical Review of International Social & Political Philosophy; 2023, Vol. 26 Issue 6, p788-809, 22p
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- The COVID-19 crisis has served not just to instil fear in the populace but to highlight the importance of fear as a motivating dynamic in politics. The gradual emergence of political-philosophical approaches calling for concern for 'positive' emotions may have made sense under non-pandemic conditions. Now, however, describing fear in the face of a deadly pandemic as 'irrational' or born of 'ignorance' seems 'irrational' and 'ignorant'. In this article, we draw upon the work of John Gray and behavioural science to present a defence of fear. We show how the pandemic has highlighted deficits in the work of four thinkers highly critical of fear: Martha Nussbaum, Zygmunt Bauman, Hannah Arendt and Sara Ahmed. We argue that, if such approaches are to be of value in anything other than optimal conditions, then they have to acknowledge the fundamental role of fear in helping human beings to pursue fundamental interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- BEHAVIORAL sciences
COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19
HUMAN beings
DEMOCRACY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13698230
- Volume :
- 26
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Critical Review of International Social & Political Philosophy
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 171584805
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/13698230.2020.1834744