Critchley's View on Philosophy in a Pandemic
After reading Critchley's article, it shows one how philosophy is connected to the world all around us. A pandemic is something so rare that it is hard to process exactly what is occuring around the world. Many have felt strange feelings such as being on edge, unsure, and extremely stressed. But, once these feelings are analyzed down to basic philosophy, it is clear to see why these feelings exist in the midst of COVID-19.
Critchley characterizes anxiety as a state in which the particular facts of the world recede from view. Everything feels uncanny and strange. On the contrary, fear is our instinctual reaction to an actual threat in the world. This fear comes from real things in the world that are an immediate threat to us. So, in simple terms, anxiety is a state based on deep rooted, made-up scenarios that cause one to become on edge and stressed, whereas fear is based on a real object.
In his article, Critchley defends his claim that the role of philosophy is to learn how to die. This principle of mortality allows for anxiety to take over our lives. Most do not imagine dying, as if the brain believes it is only something that happens to others. In the times of a pandemic, there certainly are real fears. The virus is all around us, yet it is nearly impossible to detect every person who is infected. Clearly, there are people who are dying from this virus, so Critchley argues that this fear is actually a deep rooted anxiety regarding death. And we would be free from the everlasting cycle of anxiety if we can overcome our fears and control our worries.
I fully agree with Critchley's argument presented in this article. Fear is temporary, however anxiety will take over your life if you do not get the right treatment and coping mechanisms. If you are able to overcome the anxiety surrounding death, you will be able to control the stressful situations in your life and not live in fear.
I agree with all of your points regarding philosophy, fear, and anxiety. Mr. Critchley explains the difference between fear and anxiety and relates it to the Covid-19 pandemic happening currently in the US. The role of philosophy is to learn how to die, like you stated. I agree with that statement. In the end, we will all die. No matter if we die from natural causes or the pandemic. I agree with Critchley and I agree with you. Fear is temporary whereas anxiety will take over your life.
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca, I really enjoyed your perspective on Critchley's article. I think right now it's safe to say that everyone is experiencing some form of anxiety right now due to this pandemic. Like you mentioned, we can't let it take over our lives. In order to truly live we need to accept the fact that things like morality exists, and there is nothing we can do to change that. We have to turn our weaknesses into strength.
ReplyDeleteHi Becca!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog on Critchley's article, I think you did a really good job of breaking down his article and you clearly stated the three topic points. I think that this is a very important topic as many people are currently experiencing lots of anxiety during this really odd time we are living in. I hope everything has been going well for you, keep up to great work!:)
I agree with you. Fear is temporary, but anxiety can last forever and take over someone’s life if they let it. Critchley argues that fear and anxiety comes from the fear of dying. This applies to our current pandemic situation because we have no idea how long it’s going to last for or who has the virus. There’s no way to protect ourselves from the virus completely right now which is a real fear for everyone that fear can try to anxiety that consume a person in their life.
ReplyDeleteKacie Felicello.
Hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to zoom in on a specific line where you said "Fear is temporary, however anxiety will take over your life if you do not the right treatment and coping mechanisms." I agree with this line, as humans do not go through life in fear, it usually arises at a certain point and does not stay constant. Therefore, anxiety can cause deeper problems if not attended to early on.
When Critchley writes of "anxiety" he invokes connotations that this word has in philosophy beyond the meaning of the word in everyday language, or even in psychology or psychiatry. For philosophers "anxiety" has rich meanings connected especially to the type of philosophy call existentialism, associated with philosophers like Heidegger and Sartre. You can read an introductory encyclopedia article about it here: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/
ReplyDeleteSo Critchley probably doesn't mean the sort of anxiety that we feel when we are overwhelmed thinking about made-up scenarios. The fact of our mortality isn't a made-up scenario, but when we try to really face it, we feel can feel a deep sense of anxiety. Becca mentions the importance of finding "the right treatment and coping mechanisms" to deal with anxiety. But Critchley doesn't seem to agree. Indeed, of the sort of anxiety he is talking about, he writes: "Such anxiety is not just a disorder that needs to be treated, let alone medicated into numbness. It needs to be acknowledged, shaped and honed into an vehicle of liberation." Can you explain why Critchley thinks that anxiety (in the philosophical sense) is related to freedom?