In this book, renowned thinker Avi Sagi explores the existential matters brought to the philosophical fore by the pandemic. He shows how we, when thrown into the terror of a crisis, carry the traditions, values, ideals, hopes, failures, and habits that constitute our lives, all shaping the way we grapple with questions seemingly resolved. We may then find that the crack that opens up at times of sorrow can also be a moment of discovery. Sagi analyzes various ways of confronting the crack now at the heart of our existence. What emerges is a clear normative statement: We are not only what we were but also what we can be, and we can create a world of meaning by standing together with others.
Avi Sagi is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and founder of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies at Bar-Ilan University as well as Senior Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Israel. He has published extensively on continental philosophy, Jewish thought, ethics, and religion. He is the author of many books, including Morality and Religion: The Jewish Story (Palgrave, 2021).