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Beyond catastrophe

We might all be better people once the Covid-19 crisis has subsided

Issue 87,
| Visiting professor of Buddhist Philosophy at Harvard Divinity School, director of Smith College's Logic and Buddhist Studies programmes, author of Engaging Buddhism: Why it Matters to Philosophy
1,293 words
Read time: approx. 6 mins

I'm okay, if I don't look a little closer
I'm okay if I don't see beyond the shore

The Indigo Girls, Perfect World

Buddhist philosophy tells us nothing about virology, public health, or how to treat respiratory illness. But it may have something to teach us about what we can learn from a pandemic, how we might best contribute to the lives of others in the context of a pandemic, and how we might develop an insight and moral sensitivity by reflecting on the pandemic and on our place in the world in which it unfolds.

Jay Garfield
Issue 87,

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Join the conversation

Jack Downer 8 April 2020

I believe the world will become better after the pandemic is over.
Unfortunately, we became stronger only after big falls and crises.

Padma Devkota 4 April 2020

The "six perfections" are indeed an antidote to panic in a pandemic situation. Thank you for the beautiful thoughts.

Robert Stone 30 March 2020

If we all become better as a result of the virus, would it be morally acceptable, even mandatory, for someone to manufacture a similar virus from time to time? Presumably not to do so would be to make us worse than we would otherwise be!