I limiti della solitudine umana

This paper aims to explore the boundaries of human solitude by creating a dialogue among the ideas of Ortega y Gasset, Kierkegaard, Simmel, and the literary work of Pavese. Beginning with Ortega y Gasset’s concept of radical solitude, the paper examines intellectual solitude through the perspectives of Kierkegaard and Pavese. It then delves into Simmel’s portrayal of metropolitan solitude, which is characterized by reserve and a blasé attitude. Returning to Pavese, the discussion ultimately addresses the concepts of self-constructive versus self-destructive solitude: where lies the boundary between a solitude that nurtures and one that destroys?