Philosophy: Our Guide Through Chaos - a podcast by Simon Drew

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SHOW SCRIPT: 

It’s now clear that we’re living in uncertain and unprecedented times. With the coronavirus stretching it’s reach around the world it’s becoming clearer with every new headline that the world we live in is undergoing a shift that will shape generations to come. 

The great Stoic philosopher Epictetus once remarked that “Circumstances don't make the man, they only reveal him to himself.” In this same way it would be correct to say that global challenge reveals humanity to itself. The kind of global unrest seen at this time is of the sort that breaks down paradigms and reveals to us what’s real and what’s fake, what matters and what doesn’t, what’s worth pursuing and what we can leave aside. We’re living in a time where millions of people will be out of work soon if they aren’t already, governments are debating spending trillions of dollars to keep the economies of the world flowing, and collectively we are being forced into a position where we all need to ask ourselves how we should act in this specific situation and also how we should act moving forward into the rest of this decade which, I assure you, will hold a great deal more challenges than what we’ve seen so far in just the first three months. Ultimately what we’re seeing now is a global shift in consciousness far greater than any of us have seen in our lifetimes, and I think that possibly the most important question to ask at the moment is this: what’s been missing, and therefore what must be rediscovered? 

For those who are philosophically inclined, these questions aren’t simply stored away for that rainy day or for that global pandemic. Rather, these questions are a part of everyday life. In fact, the Stoic philosopher Seneca once suggested that the budding student of philosophy should do for his mind what the soldier does for his body in times of peace, and that is to rehearse the very horror he hopes to be prepared for, to learn what makes him healthy and what makes him ill, and to exercise those things within his control so that when tragedy strikes he can confidently say, “I knew”. See, the serious student of philosophy may not be surprised by times like these, but rather he might be glad to find that his training has paid off. And this isn’t to say that he wouldn’t experience hardship or difficulties. He may have his fair share of troubles to deal with, but what he wouldn’t say is that he didn’t know. This knowledge brings strength. 

One particular exercise that the student of philosophy might engage in is that of experiencing the world from an outsider's perspective, so that instead of being a mere player in the game, or being played by the game (whichever side you take on the free will debate), he can stand back and watch the game from afar with the hope that he might come back having learned some of the rules, because

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