| Abstract |
In this brief philosophical expose, I will narrate the events as well as my personal and eco-spiritual reflections about the COVID-19 pandemic which began in Wuhan, China sometime in November 2019. The virus has spread sporadically across countries and continents wreaking havoc medically, politically, and individually as it claimed more than three hundred thousand lives and had virally infected more than four million of the global population. This phenomenon has led us to confront inevitable eschatological questions: Is this a sign of the end times? Will this affect the vulnerable human race? Will this disrupt the global economy as capitalism has collapsed worldwide? Do these events signal a new political era, perhaps the dawn of socialism and communism as countries worldwide are led to confront their deficiencies and inadequacies? Which social and political systems and worldviews are efficient, particularly in this age of globalization? What are our chances for human survival? These apocalyptic questions have led me to my reflections on Enrique Dussel's philosophy of liberation, particularly on his concept of Christian ethics and the moral theology of liberation. In so doing, the paper incorporates a holistic outlook on the pandemic viewing it on a global scale, and considers an all-inclusive interpretation of the pandemic that ranges from the environmental, civic, cultural, political, and socio-economic concerns. I shall try to sew and patch the pieces together into a much wider, integrated, and comprehensive outlook that includes both the global and the peripheral human experiences. |
| Index terms / Keywords |
Ethics and Theology of Liberation, Eurocentrism, Decoloniality, Neoliberal Globalization, Ethics in the Periphery, Ecological Theology, Philippine Society, Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) |
Mindanao State
University - Iligan Institute of Technology