Diane Enns: »The Ambiguity of Solitude«

»The Ambiguity of Solitude«

– with Lothar Müller

Any exploration of loneliness in our digital times should take into account the need for solitude. While these are distinct experiences that arise out of opposing desires – for being with others and for being alone – they share a structural dimension. In a world governed by the race for profit and technological advancement, loneliness is produced by social phenomena that ironically also erode the capacity to be alone. The lecture will focus on the ambiguities that arise when we explore the value of solitude in an age of loneliness.

DIANE ENNS: Philosopher; Professor of Philosophy at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada, specializing in social and political thought, and Director of the Society for Women of Ideas. She is the author of four books, »Thinking Through Loneliness« [2022], »Love in the Dark: Philosophy by Another Name« [2016], »The Violence of Victimhood« [2012], and »Speaking of Freedom: Philosophy, Politics and the Struggle for Liberation« [2007], co-editor of »Thinking About Love: Essays in Contemporary Continental Philosophy« [2015], and has published in scholarly journals such as »Mosaic: An Interdisciplinary Critical Journal,« »Symposium: Canadian Journal of Continental Philosophy,« »Philosophy Today,« and »Theory & Event.« Presently, she is working on a book about how to remain human in the midst of dark times.

Overview of the Lecture Series

»Alone together. Figures of Loneliness Between Pathology and Euphoria«

Loneliness, understood as involuntary solitude, has become a major concern in Western industrial societies. The experiences of the pandemic, in particular, has brought the social consequences of isolation sharply into focus and placed loneliness at the centre of public attention. Today, loneliness is increasingly being recorded statistically as a social burden, diagnosed as a symptom of »lost communities«, and addressed politically as a societal risk. Countermeasures range from social and medical prevention programs and national strategies to the establishment of dedicated political offices. The ubiquity of loneliness diagnoses forms the starting point for the Mosse Lectures in the winter term of 2026/27.

Moving beyond a purely pathological perspective, the focus will lie on the fundamental ambivalence of experiences of loneliness, reflected in the conceptual distinction between »loneliness« and »solitude.« Figures of loneliness have long be imagined in philosophy, literature, music, and the visual arts, not only as expressions of social isolation, but also as conditions of aesthetic experience, existential self-reflection, and individual freedom. In the 19th century, advocates of a programmatic, at times euphoric conception of loneliness in modernity linked the retreat into nature with projects of nature writing.

The Mosse Lectures trace the persistence and transformation of this tradition in contemporary literature, film, and popular culture, examining in particular the relationship between »Eleanor Rigby« and »Lonesome Hero,« female, male, and queer figures of loneliness who navigate the spectrum between isolation and self-determination. At stake are also the the gender-specific, cultural and political connotations of being alone.

The lecture series will be complemented by an accompanying film program, which will be shown on six evenings in January and February 2027 in collaboration with the Zeughauskino at Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin.

Other Events in this Series:

– Janosch Schobin: »Einsamkeit, die soziale Frage unserer Zeit?« | November 5, 2027

– Christian Petzold: »Gespenster« | January 14, 2027

– Jessica J. Lee: »The Wilder World: Retreating from the Peace and Quiet of Nature« | January 28, 2027

Accompanying Film Program at the Zeughauskino in the DHM Berlin [Pei Building]:

January 12, 2027, 7 p.m.

Die innere Sicherheit [Germany 2000, Dir: Christian Petzold]

January 19, 2027, 7 p.m.

Certain Women [USA 2016, Dir: Kelly Reichardt]

January 26, 2027, 7 p.m.

All of Us Strangers [GB/USA 2023, Dir: Andrew Haigh]

February 2, 2027, 7 p.m.

Her [USA 2013, Dir: Spike Jonze]

February 9, 2027, 7 p.m.

Perfect Days [Germany/Japan 2023, Dir: Wim Wenders]

February 16, 2027, 7 p.m.

Days [Taiwan 2020, Dir: Tsai Ming-liang]