The coronavirus pandemic as a consequence of western worldviews

Abstract

This is not the first time a pandemic has occurred in the history of mankind. Each time it’s
accompanied by a revaluation of the life’s meaning and the ways to solve various problems. There are
few works that comprehend the philosophical origins of the coronavirus pandemic, since COVID-19 itself
appeared relatively recently, at the end of 2019. The authors attempt to consider the occurrence of the
coronavirus pandemic as a result of the world community development along the Western path. The
principles of individualism, hedonism and the world transformation become the main philosophical
attitudes of life and activity. At the same time, the authors compare the Western approach and the
traditional Eastern one, using Taoism philosophy when considering the listed ideas. Taoist philosophy
explains well the reasons that led to the pandemic, puts forward opposite attitudes as a way of life and  activity. The authors also conclude that the appearance of new viruses is a nature’s expected response to a
certain anthropogenic impact. And a human will have to adapt to them, develop various protection
systems, both external and internal. To do this, we need to reconsider the nature of your interaction with
outer world. This will eventually lead humanity to a new, higher stage of its development.