Philosophical Discussion Concerning Loneliness

About this event

“Loneliness is not merely the absence of companionship; it’s a deeper, more profound state of isolation.” [author unknown] Greetings, I hope you all make the most of this prelude to autumn. I think transitional weather is very unique and fleeting. For me, Korean summer is always a bit too much—like a relentless passion, although it is beautifully radical in its own way. This autumn prelude, on the other hand, refuses to be too much. It is gentle and mildly warm, although slightly cold at the beginning and end of the day, like a rhythmic haiku. Before introducing our topic for this week, I'd like to share a few words. First of all, sometimes, when we talk about the very topic at issue can be just another insidious way of evading the necessary engagement with changing the status quo. For example, we may talk about ethics or state our particular perspective on a moral issue only to justify our inaction or our unwillingness to hear other voices. In this way, it can become a means of preventing the real conversation from ever taking place. Secondly, one of the purposes of philosophy is to enable us to be sceptical of the status quo, our entrenched ways of thinking and seeing things, and how we categorise and arrange things in one particular way rather than in the many other ways that might be possible. But what is even more important is for us to be equally sceptical and critical of our own ways of thinking and of how we ourselves categorise and arrange things. Perhaps that small distance between my established way of thinking and a revised perspective can be a prelude to maturity, much like this prelude to autumn. ============================================== Oxford Dictionary defines Loneliness as follows : "a feeling of being unhappy because you have no friends or people to talk to" "the fact of a period of time being sad and spent alone" ❓ Questions : Q1) Why do we sometimes feel completely alone even in the middle of a crowd? Q2) What actually causes loneliness? Is it just having no one around, or is it lacking meaningful relationships? Or is it something else entirely? Q3) Does a digitally integrated society contribute to loneliness? Q4) Is being lonely always bad? Q5) What is the difference between loneliness and solitude? Q6) Is loneliness an inherent destiny of being human? Q7) How do we view loneliness at this day and age? Was it viewed differently in the past? 🤖(ChatGPT quick note) ....... Online Venue : N/A Offline Venue : 서울 서대문구 창천동 9-21 [SocratesCafe_Group Chat] : https://open.kakao.com/o/gcvmaI0d 📖 [Optional Watch & Read List] ***