subject: Epistemic Loneliness [print this page] Loneliness has been of real problem for the people all the time. They have been experiencing various problems due to it and it has made them feel a lot of troubles due to it. Many kinds of loneliness like urban loneliness, interpersonal loneliness, college loneliness, overweight loneliness, etc have been there to disturb the lives of the modern age people. Epistemic loneliness is also one of the causes of their disturbance. It has been taking them away from the normal life.
Loneliness is a word that relates to ugliness and the man suffering from it is the one who has been cut off from the society and its norms that are prevalent among the people. Epistemology deals with nature and limitations of knowledge.
Knowledge and Its Limitations
Epistemology relates to knowledge and raises questions about it in the world. It has its close relations with existentialism, nihilism, doxastic beliefs, etc which, in their turn, have their roots in philosophy. Many philosophers from Greek till to date have been propounding theories of this kind just to explain the things that have been happening in the world. Belief in the science of logic and the latest theoretical computer science, artificial intelligence, etc belongs to this branch of knowledge.
What Is Epistemic Loneliness?
Epistemic loneliness is said to be the loneliness of existence of one's being - man is born alone, dies alone and has to live alone all his life and that the existence of certain theological beliefs is to be dealt with the philosophy logic and reason. It also raises questions about the presence of a certain authority, savior or even God. This type of loneliness has turned into an unsolvable paradox, not understandable by a layman. It also relates to man's nothingness in this universe.
Universal Loneliness
Logic, reason and philosophy tell about man's existence by raising certain questions about his existence as well as his very being. They attribute this epistemic loneliness to the innate desire of man to be alone and all of his actions based on the same desire to escape from reality. Samuel Becket's "Waiting for Godot" is a perfect example of existentialism and this type of nothingness. Life's meanings change with a person who is going through this kind of loneness. He has to reconsider and re-evaluate the norms, theology, concerns and ways of the world. Thus, loneliness becomes a universal thing for him and he sees loneliness in everything with nobody actually having anything to do.
Universal Nothingness
The work that he does has no meaning and actually he has done nothing. For common people, work is only a way to live, reproduce and die. The real work has not been done by him of coming closer to the reality of the things as: why they exist, what makes them so, why are they alone and what sort of knowledge do this nothingness and lonesomeness impart to the human beings.
Thus, epistemic loneliness is the way of the people who believe in the philosophy of epistemology and its related branches of knowledge like existentialism, doxastic views, nihilism and so forth. A man having this type knowledge and understanding will certainly feel himself to be all alone in this world of theocracy, thus, he will have to be alone.
