Distress, panic, and outright hysteria offer profound insights into the human soul—revealing the essence of individual character as well as the psyche of entire cultures and civilizations. These situations expose moral and intellectual deficiencies and reflect the state of civic arrangements, political order, and constitutional designs.
It is a sobering spectacle to witness a hedonistic civilization, worn out and vain after decades of venerating money and material pleasures, confronted with a potentially deadly pandemic. In this moment, society becomes consumed with a trivial obsession with physical survival. Almost all politicians, medical experts, and advisors surrounding the U.S. President, as well as leaders in most European countries, focus exclusively on survival rates and the protection of lives at all costs. Nations like Sweden, which seem to maintain a more open societal approach, justify their actions by referencing liberal values and the right to self-determination. However, a deeper understanding of why the near-total shutdown of our societies—and the widespread submission to the virus—is problematic is, at best, lacking.
Interestingly, the much-maligned President Trump, while not articulating it philosophically, questions the very maxim that most are acting upon. While many are intent on saving lives and resisting any moves to reopen the country, Trump wisely points out that the cure must not be worse than the disease.
What sounds like a simple truism reveals profound philosophical wisdom: If any society elevates the value of physical survival to an absolute, they have declared moral bankruptcy and are on the path to ruin. Indeed, we must be willing to take risks and navigate the trade-off between physical survival and preserving our social and economic livelihoods. Trump, in this regard, grasps what many are unwilling to even consider.
Frank Dietrich, a philosopher at the University of Düsseldorf, captured it well (my translation): “If the crisis continues for an extended period and the economic turmoil reaches extreme levels, we must reconsider the primacy of saving lives.”
In other words, the young and healthy—those up to retirement age without serious medical conditions—must return to work and keep the nations functioning. While some may fall ill, and a few may even die, we cannot hide away until every trace of the virus has disappeared, a vaccine is found, and no one is at risk anymore.
Our societies must “man up” once again. We must remind ourselves of Plato’s concept of thymos—the spiritedness that lies within the human soul. Without this, neither individuals nor societies can survive in the long run. If we are no longer willing to risk our lives for each other, we are essentially enslaving ourselves. Looking back, we will feel ashamed of our cowardice.
It is crucial not to confuse or misinterpret this principle. Of course, all reasonable measures to preserve lives and protect people must be embraced. However, the preservation of life and physical survival should not become an absolute goal.
If nothing else, this crisis provides an opportunity to rediscover the dignity of human existence—reminding ourselves that life is about more than mere self-preservation or the fear of death. Ultimately, each of us—and, most importantly, our political leaders—will be judged based on this standard of self-respect and esteem.
It is time to emerge from our shelters and sanctuaries and face life once again.
