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Thomas Cotterill

~ Creativity, Writing, Philosophy, & Psychology

Thomas Cotterill

Tag Archives: pain of loneliness

Simone de Beauvoir on Death

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Philosophy, Psychology

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

chronic self-alienation, existential angst, false persona, fear of death, mortal individual, pain of loneliness, Simone de Beauvoir, social alienation

Sartre and de Beauvoir at Balzac Memorial

Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre wanted more from life than it could give. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Like all those who place the ego’s false persona before all else, Simone De Beauvoir struggled mightily with the reality of death. She writes of “the scandal of finiteness,” referring to our inescapable mortality. When you insist on emphasizing your separateness and see yourself as merely an isolated conscious ego, it becomes inevitable that fear of the permanent extinction of consciousness – occasioned by physical death – will threaten your peace of mind. Death can become something of a preoccupation.

The real scandal here is de Beauvoir’s way of ignoring the bigger picture – the immortality of the human race, which transcends individual mortality. Unfortunately, for those locked into believing they are merely a self-made false persona, only the individual counts. They never look beyond the boundaries Continue reading →

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Disliking Yourself

24 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Psychology

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

being vs appearing, chronic self-alienation, idealistic self-rejection, inner conflicts, inner emptiness, lack of self-knowledge, pain of loneliness, painful self-dislike, self-destructive egotism

Eleanor Rigby Statue in Liverpool

Like The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” you may experience self-alienation as a feeling of intense loneliness or inner emptiness. (photo: Erik Ribsskog)

Inner emptiness, the inability to tolerate being alone are symptomatic of a lack of self-knowledge, a poorly defined sense of self. Sufferers often describe the chronic condition as a feeling of loneliness. People with this problem usually have a desperate need for the regard and affection of others, said regard and affection providing the means to ward off, or at least ameliorate, painful self-dislike. Since they cannot accept themselves Continue reading →

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The Cult of the Individual

08 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Philosophy

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

absurdity of life, craving meaning, individualism drawbacks, lacking purpose, mortal individual, pain of loneliness, philosophical isolation, social alienation, stressing individuality

Albert Camus

Albert Camus’ emphasis on the individual left him with the feeling that “man in the world is absurd.” (Image: public domain)

French journalist and philosopher Albert Camus said, “man in the world is absurd.” Like so many recent Western philosophers, he was thinking of the individual rather than the human race as a whole. Camus felt that he (like all individuals) was alone in the world, and the world, being cold and inanimate, cared nothing for him. In return, he owed the indifferent world nothing. While he does end on a defiant note (we must stand against the uncaring world and take possession of it) this is definitely not a philosophy designed to infuse your spirit with joy.

Camus’ position arises from two sources: the human craving for meaning and the desire for individual immortality. Continue reading →

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Bertrand Russell’s Philosophical Loneliness

20 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by Thomas Cotterill in Philosophy, Psychology

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

chronic self-alienation, disembodied ego, finding meaning, forestalling repression, longing for soulmates, pain of loneliness, rejecting introspection, social alienation

Bertand Russell

Bertrand Russell craved someone who could see into his soul and relieve his sense of loneliness and separation. (Image: public domain)

While not the most sympathetic, Ray Monk is perhaps the most thorough biographer of the English philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell. According to Monk, Russell felt lonely and separated. He felt trapped inside the prison walls of his self, and believed only another person could alleviate the agony of imprisonment by seeing into his soul. (For clarity, I should mention that Russell was one of those who used the word “self” to describe the conscious “I.”) This is the desire, so commonly met with, to find a profoundly understanding soul mate.

In reality, Russell was agonizingly self-alienated. As someone who stressed conscious reasoning above all else, he was partially cut off from his unconscious mind. Continue reading →

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Thomas Cotterill


I am a manic-depressive made philosophical by my long struggle with the disruptive mood disorder, during which I spent sixteen years living as a forest hermit. I write philosophical essays, fantasy, and science fiction. My attempt to integrate creativity, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality imbues everything I write. You will find hundreds of related essays and articles on my blog. I live quietly in British Columbia's scenic Fraser Valley, a beautiful place in which to wax philosophical.

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© Thomas Cotterill, 2012-19. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas Cotterill with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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