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Six political philosophies in search of a virus: critical perspectives on the coronavirus pandemic

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posted on 2023-06-07, 06:59 authored by Gerard Delanty
The Coronavirus (Covid-19) poses interesting questions for social and political thought. These include the nature and limits of the ethical responsibility of the state, personal liberty and collective interests, human dignity, and state surveillance. As many countries throughout the world declared states of emergency, some of the major questions in political philosophy become suddenly highly relevant. Foucault’s writings on biopolitical securitization and Agamben’s notion of the state of exception take on a new reality, as do the classical arguments of utilitarianism and libertarianism. In this paper, I discuss six main philosophical responses to the pandemic, including provocative interventions made by Agamben, Badieu, and Zizek, Latour on the governance of life and death as well as the Kantian perspective of Habermas on human dignity.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

LEQS Paper No. 156, May 2020

Publisher

London School of Economics

Issue

156

Pages

24.0

Place of publication

London

Department affiliated with

  • Sociology and Criminology Publications

Institution

London School of Economics and Political Science

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2020-05-14

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2020-05-14

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2020-05-14

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