Sunday, May 31, 2020

Knowledge system, Scepticism and COVID-19 pandemic. by - Ayush Gaur

Knowledge is acquaintance with fact, information or events that take place.We gain knowledge through experiences or study. Knowledge makes our belief system. It forms true beliefs with the help of good reasons.These reasons are called epistemic reasons which provide justification for beliefs. As beliefs are generated by less well grounded point of view, they need justification otherwise they create the condition of gullibility.But it is difficult to utilize the epistemic reasons during the time of worldwide lockdown due to COVID pandemic.Practical knowledge is not completely possible during the pandemic as it requires senses which are in restrictions and as the lockdown period increases, the performance aspect of knowledge becomes slower.

Conspiracy theory against Corona virus pandemic is in discourse. COVID-19 is a natural pandemic is also the opinion of scientific communities. These two theories are pole apart and both have arisen from the domain of science.Now, it creates a conflict within the believers of science that which theory is rationally driven.One is based on bio-power, bio-terrorism and imperialism in which China is blamed for it's secretive role to destroy the western economies.The other theory is based on the incapable system to fight pandemic and poor health infrastructure.The conflict among both are explicit as both have their own rational tools to prove their side of the hypothesis.But it generates radical scepticism which is not healthy as it questions everything.Doubts on the success of vaccine, fear on the second wave, impossibility of any effective drug, and the bleak future are some of the aspects of radical scepticism. Knowledge amidst the crisis and the doubts there upon seems impossible.

Knowledge is virtue. Virtues are special kinds of value.So, knowledge is valuable.During the world-wide lock down the pace of gathering the virtuous knowledge has become difficult.Today, doubts are strong and these doubts are self-destructive as we doubt everything during a serious crisis.Doubts help regimes to maintain power knowledge nexus.Citizens doubts on their knowledge and hence lose their confidence in their own commitment.It ultimately leads to incoherence in everything.This incoherence destroys the formal routes and methods to gather knowledge.It takes away the spirit and creates despondency.It gives rise to the vice of deficiency.Hence, knowledge becomes a problem as it poses only questions to ones own self.In such a radical sceptic atmosphere, knowledge is impossible.

Genuine knowledge is compatible with the possibility of being mistaken. Knowledge does not demand infallibility.But there should be the scope to mistake. When a crisis falls on a person,it makes one helpless.It sets limits over the rational thinking as it destroys the set patterns and norms.It is the same discourse that postmodernists create in the literary circles.The meaninglessness of the world is in a sense a complete doubt on the existing knowledge.It is the incredulity towards meta narratives as the postmodern philosopher, Lyotard suggests. The enlightenment principle is questioned and the whole established system of knowledge comes under the serious considerations.The atmosphere after the second world war solidifies the sense of radical scepticism and the pandemic like COVID-19 further strengthens the radical scepticism.

The existential crisis is apparent. People are in depression and fear. Technological development is not able to put forward the answer to the pertinent questions that the pandemic has arisen.Scientists with their own approaches are magnifying the problem,some of whom are raising the possibility of no vaccine in future.It is true that scientists are just raising concerns and showing different side of the story but these doubts during the worldwide crisis create anxiety and terror.The world looks absurd and this absurdity ultimately destroys the spirit to search knowledge.Both absurdism and existentialism are the prominent ideas in the postmodern thinking and COVID crisis has further enhanced the problem.Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) are being questioned.All the economic models are failing and no new social ideology is capable enough to displace the current ideological paralysis.

Knowledge,hence is in crisis as the world is in doubt.Future seems uncertain with many possibilities that want reconsideration on the present systems and methods of rationality.Radical scepticism is dominant today.It can destroy self-spirit but that is the reality.Reality is itself in question that again leads to radical doubts and among everything knowledge needs passage to become available for the masses. It needs rational and logical efforts but with a caution and that is to first define rationale and logic in the new contexts.

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