ABSTRACT
Friedrich Nietzsche discusses epidemics and plagues (Seuchen) both in the medical sense and in an existential sense. For Nietzsche, plagues and pandemics, as a medical concern, point to a much deeper phenomenon in human psychology. In plagues, we both pity and are repulsed by those who are sick;we are disgusted. We fail to attain true compassion because we dehumanize and blame the sick. However, this reaction points to the more primordial existential phenomenon we are avoiding: disgust with human finitude itself. Nietzsche suggests that epidemics and plagues reveal our characters and can provide the possibility to change them. The coronavirus crisis today provides us the rare opportunity to prepare for what Nietzsche saw as true compassion. Nietzsche argues we cannot have this kind of compassion before coming to terms with our finitude. Coronavirus, therefore, offers us not only an existential wake-up call, but also the opportunity to foster a deep compassion that may leave a habitable planet to future generations. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.