Paralytic Pandemic : An Emergence of a Human Crisis

This edited volume "Paralytic Pandemic: An Emergence of a Human Crisis" is the result of the proceedings of the five consecutive webinars organised by the Department of Philosophy, Prabhu Jagatbandhu College, Andul, Howrah. It is an attempt to reflect on the changing world order post pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic is a social crisis, it is an economic crisis, it is a financial crisis, it is a legal crisis, it is a psychological crisis, but most importantly, holistically viewed, it is a human crisis of paradigm magnitude. People are going through a myriad of problems in adjusting to the current lifestyles and the fear of being infected by the disease. The enormity of living in isolation, changes in our daily lives, hopelessness arising out of job loss,  extreme financial distress and grief over the death of loved ones without being able to see them for one last time has the potential to affect the mental health and well-being of many. Physical distancing has robbed us of the comfort of the company of our family and friends, who are our emotional sponge absorbing all negative emotions and feelings pent up within us. Physical distancing has, in effect, transformed into mental distancing and we are like small islands fending for ourselves with no external emotional support. But to survive this pandemic we need to be careful not to let physical distancing gradually become mental distancing and create a society of individuals socially apart. Because it is critical to seek social support and connection with others when we are living in isolation, in constant fear of surviving this pandemic. What are the signs of anxiety, panic attacks, depression and suicide? How can we easily identify them? Not just among our family, friends and neighbours, but also for ourselves?  Hence, the Department of Philosophy decided to take up this assessment of the Covid effect from various perspectives – legal, socio-economic, medical, psychological and finally, philosophical.  We will be getting a collection of very rich articles which will give us a glimpse of the initial impact of COVID-19 among general public and provide a roadmap for us to tackle the psychosocial impact of this paralytic pandemic. This book is a collection of research articles from academicians, faculty, research scholars, lawyers, scientists, doctors and human right activists with a high standard of academic writing. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have the potential to entirely restructure the world ushering a new normal.  It has already impacted the world on a global scale which will probably linger on generating a longstanding disruption that will shape an entirely new human civilization. I believe that it is the basic task of philosophers to rethink what would be the new normal in the current scenario and reimagine human society in view of the recent times. We need to contemplate on the changes ushered in by this sudden attack on humanity by a virulent virus, suggest the ways to tackle this situation in the best possible manner. So, I felt that this was the time to compile the views of our intellectuals. The book has been envisaged with a view to capture the existing world order, both from a conceptual as well as a practical framework to enumerate, examine and analyse the different dimensions of the transformation of the world post pandemic. The book aims to focus on providing relevant theoretical frameworks on the basis of latest critical study in medical, legal, economic, financial, political and social spheres in the philosophical or ethical context with a motive to provide a roadmap for combating the fallout of the paralytic pandemic. The objective of the book is to churn out new insights and lay down policy prescriptions to guide individuals or the society to adjust to the old world order and move forward in the post pandemic world. Every individual affected directly or indirectly by the covid can relate to the topics discussed in this book. All responsible citizens, academicians, intellectual fraternity, faculty members of different disciplines and researchers will benefit immensely from the deliberations of experts in their own fields.

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