An epidemic such as COVID-19 challenges life’s very order and meaning, interferes in our relations with others, and breaks apart our routine. It raises many questions in the realms of ethics, politics, theology, psychology, and beyond. Perhaps more than anything else, it prompts us to ponder: what does this encounter with widespread anguish and distress imply about the human self-perception as sovereign rulers of Earthly life?

In this book, renowned thinker Avi Sagi explores the existential matters brought to the philosophical fore by the pandemic. He shows how we, when thrown into the terror of a crisis, carry the traditions, values, ideals, hopes, failures, and habits that constitute our lives, all shaping the way we grapple with questions seemingly resolved. We may then find that the crack that opens up at times of sorrow can also be a moment of discovery. Sagi analyzes various ways of confronting the crack now at the heart of our existence. What emerges is a clear normative statement: We are not only what we were but also what we can be, and we can create a world of meaning by standing together with others.

Translated by: Batya Stein