Cultural homogenization, often opposed and criticized for impoverishing and razing local customs and ways of life, was but a side-effect of that idealizing movement.Ī lion’s share of the work of virtualization was accomplished by the Internet, along with a whole slew of technologies for obviating or digitalizing touch: voice-controlled devices, touchless water taps, soap dispensers and flushes, not to mention contactless payment methods. To become a globe (which is, itself, a geometrical abstraction, rather than concrete reality), the world had to be reimagined as an ideal unity. The acceleration of processes that went under a broad heading of globalization involved a growing virtualization of the world. But the cultural frame of what is going on is at least as important as the biological or epidemiological explanation. The virus is highly contagious and can survive not only on the skin but also on inorganic surfaces for a relatively long period of time. It is easy to understand the reason behind such guidance. Medical authorities insistently advise us: do not touch your face, do not touch doorknobs with your hands, and definitely do not touch others (no kisses on the cheek, handshakes, or other bodily greetings). With the new coronavirus pandemic, the sense of touch has come under attack. This is the first of a series of essays on the pandemic, the rest of which will appear regularly in The Philosophical Salon, edited by Michael Marder.
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