"There is a particular absurdity here. Israel has been counting on the military to provide its security. They have somehow forgotten that, without proper health, the military is meaningless," says Professor Eva Illouz.
Illouz is a renowned sociologist whose research and writings have gained worldwide recognition. She is a professor of sociology and anthropology at the Hebrew University, has served as president of the Bezalel Academy of Art (2014-2013), and was awarded the EMET Prize in 2018.
I would advise against creating a separation between the world of human reasoning and the world of economic reasoning
"You can see cold calculations being made these days," says Illouz in an interview with Davar. "When the health system collapses, the government loses its legitimacy. Democratic regimes in our era cannot cope with the collapse of their health systems."
If these are cold calculations, then how is it that different countries are achieving varying results?
"Something interesting is happening here. There is a conflict going on between two rational approaches, the first based on the economic considerations, with which we are familiar. The Dutch, the British, and the Brazilians took this approach. Their idea was to separate the young from the old, and to allow for the economy to keep functioning while isolating at-risk populations. Both the Dutch and the British have since reversed this policy. They did so mostly for practical considerations, after realizing that it was not possible to truly isolate the at-risk populations. These populations are comprised of a large number of people with different problems – the elderly, people with heart conditions, weakened immune systems, diabetes, cancer – it’s not feasible to define them as one group and to separate them. Soon after their failed attempt to isolate at-risk populations, the rate of infection rose dramatically, as did the mortality rate. They understood that they were heading in a direction that resembled what we are seeing in Italy, towards the collapse of the state."
In fact, the humane, public health reasoning won out over economic reasoning.
“This decision was very much calculated. I would advise against creating a separation between the world of human reasoning and the world of economic reasoning. Look at China. This is not a country with a particularly impressive human rights record or a reputation for humanitarianism. And yet China has sacrificed a great deal of its economic production in order to fight the disease. It also did so without hesitation."
What explanation do you have for this?
"There is a basic contract between the state and its inhabitants. A contract that says the state is committed to protecting against external security threats as well as the health of its citizens. This, of course, is a modern concept. The term biopower, coined by Michel Foucault, says that the power source and justification for the existence of the state stems from its protection of the health of its inhabitants."
At least at the beginning of the crisis, there were quite a few people who said that we were simply dealing with a slightly more aggressive flu. Some of the same people claimed that since everybody dies eventually, COVID-19 is not a reason to bring the world to a grinding halt. Ilouz's thinks that this attitude is part of the issue.
"There are voices that say that. They say that there is no reason to get carried away with this pandemic, since it is practically influenza, which people die from anyway, so why are we disrupting the economy for the sake of combating COVID-19, while we haven't responded in such a way to other diseases? Those statements have not gone away. These sentiments feed off of the lack of clarity around mortality rates. We still don’t know how many people are infected. With a figure like 4% mortality rate, or even an 8% mortality rate when it comes to Italy, they say it is unclear if these figures are accurate. It sounds cold and cynical, but these are the calculations that some politicians and heads of institutions are making."
"Even before the coronavirus outbreak, people were tested and diagnosed because a large portion of public spending on healthcare is directed towards end-of-life care, for elderly people with terminal illnesses. And they said these resources should be channeled to other things – perhaps to research on drugs or other diseases. It highlights how crucial it is to understand that every healthcare system based on economic resources has to make choices with regard to spending. Another example is how the Israeli public healthcare system works. A committee sits and decides on which drugs and treatments to fund. This ultimately comes down to a financial decision."
The true character of the state is on display for all to see
Does this extraordinary event that we are experiencing today, in your opinion, reveal something about how society operates? Is there a narrative that this crisis has revealed?
"There is an understanding here that is emerging from this crisis. An insight that can be seen in statements made by various leaders regarding how to handle the crisis, and that understanding is that only the state can deal with these kinds of crises. The crisis actually uncovers the sham of neoliberalism. Consider the fact that corporations actually use and exploit public resources. It is because of these resources that they can accrue extremely high levels of wealth, in some cases as high as entire states."
What do corporations get?
"They get infrastructure, education, and health. Without these three goods a developed society and contemporary economy cannot function. There are people here who are alive because of the state's infrastructure, the state's health system, and the state's education system. The corporations are exploiting these people for profit. Whether it is workers or consumers, this entity that is both the producer and the consumer can exist only thanks to the massive and invisible work of the state. Suddenly a virus comes along, and this essential backbone becomes visible to the public, and the sham of neoliberalism is exposed. The free market doesn't do that; it's busy doing something else. "
"We’re seeing a new kind of solidarity here"
In fact, you say that only through collective action, a kind of general solidarity, can we create a new order amid this chaotic reality.
"We’re seeing a new kind of solidarity here. Inter-generational solidarity, which is an idea we are not used to today. Also, it is a solidarity which is ironically expressed through creating distance between people, and not through connections. A sense of solidarity requires closeness, and today we need solidarity that is based on distance and disconnect. Isolation. There are many paradoxes within this solidarity."
Is this crisis going to change our whole society? Where are we headed?
"It's hard for me to say right now. Unfortunately, I think there is a very strong inertia at play in our current culture. There will be people who have the desire and capability to restore the existing order. I think that if we are to change the direction, a global social movement needs to be established that is willing to say – enough is enough – We are not continuing with this method. The health system in Israel has become the weakest system in the OECD, in terms of equipment, the number of beds, and standards. I hope the Israelis will be headstrong and ask tough questions about this."
In your book, Saving the Modern Soul, you describe a change in our emotional makeup. You describe how humans in this day and age find it difficult to cope with the presence of suffering, and feel the need to channel it towards self-healing. This crisis is characterized by needless suffering, that we cannot comprehend until it is too late. We cannot grasp it, but it is definitely present. Existential human suffering that we have to live with.
"I agree with this description of existential suffering. A member of the French government said that heroism in this fight is to do nothing. It really turns our assumptions upside-down. We are used to the understanding that you become heroes by doing something. By doing something extraordinary. Now the expectation is to stay at home and do nothing. Millions in the world, billions, are required to do nothing in order to save lives. It's the opposite of all of our thought patterns. Especially as products of a capitalist society in which we are constantly required to do, do, do."
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Brought to press with the help of the International Relations Division of the Histadrut