Abstract
There are strong expressions of hope that the experience of the COVID-19 crisis might strengthen our sense of justice and inspire activities that bring about fundamental change for the better. What may we hope for during the crisis and how should we hope? Based on a discussion of philosophical theories of hope and tragedy, I will develop an account of “activating fragile hope,” which is motivating contributions to structural change and resistance against injustice beyond and within the legal system and which remains aware of its own fragility and of the situation of those who have less to hope for.
Highlights
The first reactions of public intellectuals to the COVID-19 crisis were characterized by both fear and hope
The American writer and activist Rebecca Solnit has described the times of the current crisis “as akin to a spring thaw: it’s as if the pack ice has broken up, the water starts flowing again and boats can move through places they could not during winter.”[1]. She hopes for a breaking of the ice of the status quo of power structures and behavior patterns in order to allow for change
Will the COVID-19 crisis make us better? Will it renew our idea of the good, strengthen our sense of justice, and activate our efforts to strive for a better world? What may we hope for during the corona crisis and how should we hope?
Summary
The first reactions of public intellectuals to the COVID-19 crisis were characterized by both fear and hope. Will it renew our idea of the good, strengthen our sense of justice, and activate our efforts to strive for a better world? I will argue that the three types of hope must go hand in hand to efficiently activate contributions to social movements and resistance against injustice. They should be enriched by a substantial practical hope that is based on our imagination of a phenomenological idea of the future (Cheshire Calhoun) and by stories of hope (Rebecca Solnit). Concerning injustice, we ought to use the activating power of hope to change things for the better, accompanied by a responsive hope of care (Victoria McGeer). Against the background of my account of the activating power of hope as fragile hope, I will show what role hope for justice can play within the legal system
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