Abstract
What is the role of the philosopher in times of pandemic? The case of Giorgio Agamben is a fascinating one insofar as the Italian philosopher has been criticized by the Left following the publication of monthly blog entries on the Quodlibet publishing house website in which he strongly criticized the stringent lockdown measures imposed by politicians and medical authorities in 2020. According to Agamben, these measures deny fundamental constitutional rights within democratic regimes and should be criticized. Quodlibet has recently published a book, entitled A che punto siamo? L’epidemia come politica (Where Are We? The Pandemic as Politics), in which one finds Agamben’s blog entries and a few interviews given in 2020. In the publication, Agamben decries the climate of “sanitary terror” prevalent in the West in the name of the “health religion.” According to Agamben, the measures and actions taken by Western governments would reflect a new paradigm of “biosecurity” whose long-term social and ethical consequences are far from clear. This paper will show that Agamben’s critical response to the pandemic echoes certain themes found in his magnum opus, Homo Sacer (1997-2015), especially the notions of “bare life” and “state of exception.” Inspired by Foucauldian biopolitics, Agamben’s reflections run counter to mainstream media and politicians’ accounts of the pandemic based on affect and fearmongering. The philosopher prefers to speak the truth to media and political power and risk being ostracized by the philosophical community rather than remain silent in the face of what he calls the new “medical religion.”
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2021 Special Focus—Life after Pandemic: Towards a New Global Biopolitics?
KEYWORDS
Italy, Philosophy, Giorgio Agamben, Pandemic, Biopolitics
