Social Distancing and the Deficit of Presence (a Philosophical Reflection on the Covid-19 Pandemic)

Аннотация

This paper argues that if the COVID-19 pandemic turns out to be a man-made risk (А. Giddens), i.e. an unforeseen consequence of a person's behavior and actions, then, in order to avoid such fatal contingencies that occur so unexpectedly, it is necessary to change the type of behavior and actions that have been established in the culture of the Modern Period. People have been forced to observe the spatial order during the pandemic. Social distancing, self-isolation, the Red Zone, and other spatial limitations have made people aware of the deficit of presence and the lack of independent, active participation in life. On the one hand, the novel coronavirus has returned us to an awareness of the biological, natural origin of human existence, which has been forgotten by culture (science). On the other hand, the practices of social rationing and restriction have revealed the influence of various forms of alienation – social, political, economic, and cultural – on the fate of each individual. Introducing the bio-principle (the virus) into the social, cultural, and political space radically changes the relationship between people and nature. This situation forces us to contemplate the meaning of the concept of culture, which received its definition in the 18^th century and is understood as non-nature, as reflected in the formula culture versus nature. This paper shows that the cultural ideal of human activity, established in modern times, is the reason behind the alienation of technogenic civilization and social forms of life from nature. By destroying nature and turning it into material for people's various techne, people found themselves in conflict with their own life. Culture has lost its inner meaning of the presence of the world and of an individual, which dissolved in various interpretations and ideas. Contemporary history is moving towards establishing a culture of presence, where the world is viewed not as a mere material to be used but as an area for humans to engage with. Today, we see the assertion of the right to difference and the right to the presence of diversity – in nature, culture, and politics (the struggle for a multipolar world) and in the personal domain (selfies, blogs, chats, etc.).