These days, in conversations between friends, we almost always end up talking about the desperate state of the world, and the avalanche of bad news that falls on us: war in the Middle East and Ukraine, climate crisis, refugee tragedies, homelessness, housing crisis… I could go on and on.
Even as a journalist and passionate about current affairs, there are mornings where I skip over certain reports because I find them too difficult to read. Let’s say that the meshes of my bad news filter are tighter than before. Is this the same thing for you?
Psychologists recommend measuring our consumption of information in order to better manage our anxiety.
This is probably wise, but I can’t help but think that it’s a privilege to be able to cut myself off from bad news because it disturbs me.
What would I say if I was up to my neck in water, if I was sleeping in the street, if my town was torn apart by civil war and I learned that On the other side of the country or the world, people looked away to sleep better at night?
Ethically, is it wrong to dissociate myself from those who suffer in order to preserve my peace of mind?
We protect ourselves from what makes us anxious, but withdrawing into ourselves cuts us off from others. Living in a democracy means seeking discussion.
André Lacroix, full professor in the department of philosophy and applied ethics at the University of Sherbrooke
“We are living in difficult times,” says Ryoa Chung, full professor in the philosophy department at the University of Montreal. I understand this withdrawal into oneself. But if people stop being informed, we find ourselves with another social problem: when people lose interest in public affairs, there are serious consequences, an erosion of the debate. »
Coming out of our navel
Professor André Lacroix does not hesitate to tell his students: get informed! “The absence of curiosity leads to passivity,” believes the ethicist. How can we position ourselves when we are not informed? We risk falling into the excessive judgment of others, into the moralization of society. »
Ethics, continues André Lacroix, is the meeting between the individual and the collective. “However,” he adds, “we are in a “singularist” society. We tend to think from our individual points of view. »
The professor reminds us that being in the presence of the Other inevitably causes insecurity. It is at the border of this insecurity, he specifies, that dialogue takes place. On the other hand, when we cut ourselves off from others, we impoverish living together. “Understanding what is happening in Israel, for example, fuels reflection and fuels discussion,” he emphasizes. Getting informed is also the beginning of critical thinking. »
The dangers of populism
“We have no choice but to be interested in the misery of others,” believes Ryoa Chung, who is also co-director of the Ethics Research Center at the University of Montreal. We must stay in touch with what is happening if we want to avoid the crumbling of democracy and its consequences, namely ideological excesses, the rise of populism or disinformation. The news media are the safeguards of democracy. »
Professor Ryoa Chung emphasizes that in the world of philosophy, “the epistemology of ignorance” is a booming trend. He is associated with the philosopher Charles W. Mills who, in his essay The racial contract (1997), speaks of “white ignorance” to describe the complacency of whites who have turned a blind eye to racial inequality in the United States.
PHOTO FATIMA SHBAIR, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Palestinians wait to receive a meal at a camp for displaced people in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
“Not being informed,” insists Professor Ryoa Chung, “is turning a blind eye to reality – in this case racism – and maintaining the status quo. It is a form of ignorance which is maintained by the powers that be and which serves the interests of the powerful. However, getting information is destabilizing, it disturbs our position of comfort. The film The area of interest [la vie d’une famille qui coule des jours tranquilles à quelques pas du camp d’Auschwitz] addresses these issues very well. »
Ryoa Chung also quotes the philosopher Susan Sontag and her essay On the photo who, already in 1977, spoke about the ethics of the person who looks at photos depicting the tragedy of others. The philosopher continued her reflection in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001. In Faced with the pain of others, Sontag wonders: do images of war risk desensitizing us and making us apathetic or, on the contrary, do they have the power to change things?
Ultimately, the question we must ask ourselves is how to inform ourselves without ever losing sight of compassion? Psychologists are right that it can become too much. The idea is not to be involved in all the causes, but rather to become aware of them and ask yourself how we can help.
Ryoa Chung, full professor in the philosophy department at the University of Montreal
“We must not fall into despair and pessimism,” continues Professor Ryoa Chung. This is what leads to resentment and populism. We must also not fall into excessive optimism. Between these two extremes, there is hope, a very beautiful term developed by the philosopher Corine Pelluchon. »
I like the idea put forward by the two ethicists that being informed “is going to meet the Other”. And although it is sometimes uncomfortable, it is essential to the health of our democracy.
What do you think ? Participate in the dialogue