Fear and the Covid-19 Pandemic - A Liberticidal Virus

This book explores the forms of fear that are becoming more visible in liberal democracies and how they now tend to condition our existences in a way that is detrimental to our personal freedom. The author explores how the conception of human existence that now dominates in liberal societies and that places the highest value on the preservation of life at all costs plays a significant role in this regard. He explores the origin of this form of biopolitics that has emerged after the end of the Cold War and shows how it has dramatically changed our relationship with the state and also explains how this new dynamic has been favourable to the imposition of disproportional restrictions on our individual freedom. The COVID-19 pandemic has indeed shown that when the fear of dying ends up taking precedence over any other considerations, individuals and societies are led on an illiberal path that can only contribute to the gradual erosion of their liberties and to the development and acceptance of a new type of governance that justifies the imposition of liberticidal measures. This book will appeal to scholars and students of political theory and comparative democracy, civil rights advocates, and media professionals interested in questions related to liberalism and its post-Cold War evolution.

List of contents

Introduction  1. Fear and the Meaning of Life  2. The Passage from a Lockean to a Hobbesian World   3. State of Emergency or a New Governance Paradigm  4. Recapturing Freedom

About the author

Jean- François Caron is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Nazarbayev University where he teaches Political Theory. He is also Research Fellow at the Institute of Political Science and Administration at the University of Opole.

Summary

This book explores the forms of fear that are becoming more visible in liberal democracies and how they now tend to condition our existences in a way that is detrimental to our personal freedom.

Product details

• Authors: Jean-François Caron, Jean-Francois (Nazarbayev University Caron
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 05.07.2023
• EAN: 9781032481494
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3248149-4
• No. of pages: 110
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Miscellaneous; Sociology, Political Ideologies, PHILOSOPHY / Social, PHILOSOPHY / Political, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory, Society & culture: general, Social & political philosophy, Political science & theory, social and political philosophy, Political science and theory, Society and culture: general, Political ideologies and movements