Pierre Berthoud
On the occasion of the crisis caused by Covid-19, André Comte-Sponville shared with his listeners and readers some interesting thoughts on the panic, no doubt legitimate, caused by the pandemic. This anxiety has been largely exploited by health and political authorities (with a few exceptions) and amplified by the media. Beyond the issue of health, the philosopher argues that this fear crystallizes around death. It's as if our contemporaries suddenly discovered that they were mortal! The coronavirus forced them to face a reality that they sought to hide at all costs because they saw death as a failure. To reassure them, here is what Comte-Sponville says: “I have two pieces of news to share with you, one good and one bad: the bad one, we are all going to die; the good, the vast majority of us will die of something other than covid 19! He added, "Finitude, failure and obstacles are part of the human condition. Until we accept death, we will be distraught with every epidemic. To admit the reality of death is therefore to give oneself the means to appreciate life. This is how "we will love life because we will become more aware of its brevity, its fragility, its value. In other words, we have to make the most of human existence because there is nothing after death! Such awareness allows us, he says, to live more intensely while recognizing that health is only a "means to achieve happiness" and not an end in itself. Indeed, health is only a good, and can in no way take the place of "great values" such "justice, love, generosity, courage, freedom ...".
There is wisdom in the words of Comte-Sponville, his insistence on the preciousness of earthly life, on the limits and fragility of the human condition, on the values and ethical principles which give meaning and quality to existence. However, his approach gives the impression that he is indebted to the Judeo-Christian heritage while obscuring his philosophical and biblical roots. He bluntly rejects the existence of a sovereign and personal God to whom we are accountable and with whom we can have an intimate relationship. We are the only actors on the stage of this world and beyond its horizon there is nothing but nothingness. As for his acceptance of limits and obstacles, it is more akin to acknowledgment or resignation.
In contrast, the biblical perspective emphasizes the scandalous nature of death in a broken world. It is the ultimate enemy whose power is sin, understood as the rebellion against our ultimate face-to-face and his wisdom. It is precisely because the Bible distinguishes between the origin of being and of evil that sin, suffering and death are tragic. We can approach this tragedy without fear and with confidence because the Lord has turned the tide of history in Jesus Christ, his life, his death and his resurrection attest it! In it, we pass from death to the life which is embodied at the heart of our existence and which transcends the horizon of our world.
May the Holy Spirit give us wisdom in this restless, tottering, and crying world to be ambassadors of comfort, peace, and hope before which fear and anguish. faint. As "the Lord's steadfast love is better than life" it awakens in us confidence, peace, and praise (Ps 63.3).
Pierre Berthoud
President
Professor Emeritus
Faculté Jean Calvin
(translated)