Hannah Arendt on Solitude (and How It Impacts Meaningful Dialogue)

By Sonja Meijer

​Hannah Arendt, a German American historian and political thinker, made significant contributions to political theory and philosophy, which continue to be studied today. Arendt argues that thinking is a political activity. Engaging and thinking with others in the political sphere is central to a fulfilling life. 
 
Arendt has explored issues from totalitarianism in works like “The Origins of Totalitarianism,” an examination of “The Human Condition,” her views on evil when covering the trial of Adolf Eichmann, her distinction between the Public and Private spheres, and her advocacy for human rights, as she herself was a refugee.
 
Arendt emphasizes the importance of engaging in political discourse with others. By entering the political realm, we leave our private life to appear in front of others, with the use of speech and action. By presenting ourselves, we can be recognized by others and therefore attain a sense of individual freedom. Arendt believes that if we appear in front of others, our existence is acknowledged, leading to the experience of human plurality and eventually reality.
 
Arendt argues that good and meaningful conversations occur when two individuals are working together to understand each other. As we cannot know another person merely from observation, we have a responsibility to engage in dialogue. We need to actively seek answers to the questions we have about someone. Not only do we come to understand the other person through dialogue, but we also come to learn more about ourselves. Through this collaborative
exploration, we shed light on who we are as individuals and how we fit into the larger
world.
 
Not only is it important to have dialogue with others, but one must also be able to have dialogue with themselves. Arendt states that “no man can keep his conscience intact who cannot actualize the dialogue with himself, that is, who lacks the solitude required for all forms of thinking.”  
 
Arendt believes that our inner dialogue, which she calls a “two-in-one” conversation, is
necessary when examining our conscience. In this two-in-one, this thought process
turns into a dialogue consisting of myself asking questions and my other self
answering them. Arendt argues that “living together with others begins with living
together with oneself.” 
 
For one to engage in inner dialogue, one must enter a world of solitude. Arendt’s notion of solitude is a space for self-discovery and introspection. A person cannot enter the public realm as a political being without first thinking in solitude. Solitude, as Arendt sees it, offers us a remedy to an increasingly lonely society. Rather than following a traditional way of solving loneliness – the view of engaging more with others – one should spend more time in solitude.
 
Our society is dealing with an epidemic of loneliness. With the development of technology, specifically social media, we spend more time alone, not engaging in dialogue with ourselves or others. This time alone is often spent scrolling on Instagram, checking emails, or watching TV. We have become immersed in the screens that we deem as entertainment, and we now consider it our ‘alone’ time or ‘me’ time. 
 
But this is not what Arendt meant by spending time with ourselves. We are no longer taking time to speak with our other self in solitude, away from distractions. Our attention span is even shorter than previous years, and we become easily bored and exist in this world of loneliness. We are no longer experiencing the companionship of our other self within the two-in-one. 
 
As we are no longer engaging in the self-understanding that emerges from inner dialogue, we are ill-prepared for participating in the public sphere. We are losing what makes us distinct from others as we hide behind screens and appear less and less in front of others. Solitude is integral to the life of a human being, and without this space for introspection, we lose our ability for thought and therefore our freedom.
 
Arendt talks about the dangers of totalitarianism. In the world of totalitarianism, one is taught what to think rather than how to think. Totalitarianism acts like a magnet, where individuals are pulled so close together that they lose their individuality and merge into one. Totalitarian regimes seek to eradicate all differences of thought by removing the political space that allows for new and transformative ideas to be produced. Without the ability to think one becomes lonely.
 
In contrast to the lonely man, the solitary man is completely alone but, as Arendt sees it, he is “together with himself.” Thinking in solitude is a dialogue between “me and myself.” Arendt notes that the lonely person can save themselves from loneliness by engaging in solitary dialogue. By being in solitude, we can expand our minds and question our own views and perspectives.
 
Arendt also highlights the repercussions of abstaining from meaningful reflection. Her essay “Thinking and Moral Considerations” grapples with the connection between thinking and evil. Arendt used the phrase “the banality of evil” to describe Adolf Eichmann, a high-ranking Nazi official who was a significant figure in the Holocaust. 
 
Arendt did not see Eichmann as a “monstrous” figure but rather an ordinary bureaucrat who committed evil acts without deeply questioning or reflecting on the moral implications of his actions. These evil deeds were committed on a large scale, and Arendt viewed this as “not stupidity but a curious, quite authentic inability to think.” She argues that thinking, this two-in-one conversation, can deter individuals from evildoing.
 
Arendt posits that when you are in solitude, you are engaged in thought which
may “be the most solitary of all activities” but you are never “without a partner and
without company.” Delving deep into conversation with yourself will always be sufficient companionship.
 
In conclusion, Arendt’s thinking highlights the importance of solitude as a
space to understand ourselves through engaging in a two-in-one dialogue. By
critiquing totalitarianism, she highlights the dangers of depriving people of solitude.
Losing this space for solitude means losing the freedom that comes with thinking.
Solitude is a space to discover one’s identity through sustained reflection. 
 
The process of having dialogue with our self encourages us to question our own values
while also opening ourselves to the other. This preparation better equips us for
acting in the political sphere. By balancing solitude and our social interactions, we
can have a fulfilling and meaningful life. Everyone can feel lonely at times, but Arendt
encourages us to continuously cultivate our inner-thinking partner to find refuge in
solitude. 
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Finally, I would like to leave you with a poem I wrote about solitude:
 
Arendt’s wise words
 
she tells us that solitude is a place for us to reflect
where a person can be in conversation with oneself,
can be fulfilled by one’s own presence
and that solitude cannot be mistaken for loneliness
(but I am too often lonely and wonder how I can enter the world of solitude)

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Sonja Meijer is a recent graduate of Bryn Mawr College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. She is half American and half Dutch, and grew up in the Geneva, Switzerland area. Her interests are in social justice, poetry, theater, and sports. She has been involved with Global Citizen Circle for the past year and served as an intern for GCC in 2023. 

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Power is actualized only where word and deed have not parted company, where words are not empty and deeds not brutal, where words are not used to veil intentions but to disclose realities, and where deeds are not used to violate and destroy but to establish relations and create new realities.
                                                                                                                        -Hannah Arendt, "The Human Condition"