The Virus in the Age of Madness, BernardHenri Levy
The Virus in the Age of Madness, BernardHenri Levy
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The Virus in the Age of Madness

Author: Bernard-Henri Levy

Narrator: Shridhar Solanki

Unabridged: 2 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/28/2020


Synopsis

A trenchant look at how the coronavirus reveals the dangerous fault lines of contemporary society

With medical mysteries, rising death tolls, and conspiracy theories beamed minute by minute through the vast web universe, the coronavirus pandemic has irrevocably altered societies around the world. In this sharp essay, world-renowned philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy interrogates the many meanings and metaphors we have assigned to the pandemic—and what they tell us about ourselves.
 
Drawing on the philosophical tradition from Plato and Aristotle to Lacan and Foucault, Lévy asks uncomfortable questions about reality and mythology: he rejects the idea that the virus is a warning from nature, the inevitable result of global capitalism; he questions the heroic status of doctors, asking us to think critically about the loci of authority and power; he challenges the panicked polarization that dominates online discourse. Lucid, incisive, and always original, Lévy takes a bird’s-eye view of the most consequential historical event of our time and proposes a way to defend human society from threats to our collective future.

About Bernard-Henri Levy

Bernard-Henri Levy is a philosopher, activist, filmmaker, and the author of more than thirty books, including The Genius of Judaism, American Vertigo, Barbarism with a Human Face, and Who Killed Daniel Pearl? His writing has appeared extensively in publications throughout Europe and the United States. His documentaries include Peshmerga, The Battle of Mosul, The Oath of Tobruk, and Bosna! Levy is cofounder of the antiracist group SOS Racisme and has served on diplomatic missions for the French government.


Reviews

Goodreads review by 8stitches 9lives on August 02, 2020

The Virus in the Age of Madness is the English translation of prominent French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy’s latest book-length essay. At 128 pages, it packs a powerful punch and his Diogenes-inspired worldview tallies very much with my own. As Friedrich Nietzsche once stated — ”Cynicism is the o......more

Goodreads review by Casey on August 09, 2020

Living with the Coronavirus is like living in an echo chamber, listening to the reverberations of one's own thoughts. Except the world outside our chamber is equally obsessed with the virus. Daily case counts, positivity ratios, deaths, hospital beds being used, we watch the numbers like an ICU nurs......more

Goodreads review by Gabriel Paternoster on June 30, 2020

Quelques points très intéressants au milieu d’un bain de critiques qui tournent en rond sans réels profondeurs ni développements. Un style qui passe du bien écrit et agréable au lourdeurs d’un écrivain qui cherche à étayer son point de vue avec le maximum de références philosophiques en une même phr......more

Goodreads review by Nick on October 15, 2020

Across five chapters, Lévy reflects upon our global “Great Confinement” and surrender to the current tragic but not unprecedented world health crisis. This is a quintessentially French read: in full support of the human spirit writ large, a vigorous interrogation of metaphors and the actions that co......more

Goodreads review by Isabelle on July 06, 2020

Ceci est le premier livre que je découvre, concernant BHL. Merci pour ce bon tour d'horizons ! Quel légèreté, quelle non-égocentré parcours (comparé à certains philosophes contemportains de l'auteur). J'en conseille la lecture.......more