It is not exaggerated to affirm that solitude enabled Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) to become a great philosopher. It took him forty thousand hours of quietness to sharpen his powers of observation, and another forty thousand to make sense of what he had observed.
Schopenhauer held solitude in high regard because it is a prerequisite of self-awareness. Individuals need quietness to understand how the will (“life force”) affects their lives.
In his book “The world as will and representation” (1818), Schopenhauer argued that will never stops prompting humans to pursue goals that are often impossible to achieve. The will is to blame for a large part of dissatisfaction and suffering in the world.
Schopenhauer and the advantages of solitude
Solitude enables individuals to disengage from the influence of the will. In helps people say no to distractions and confront their passivity, disorientation, and fears.
According to Schopenhauer, solitude can help you achieve a profound understanding of the world in general, and yourself (your motivation, goals and desires) in particular.
In contrast to modern psychologists, Schopenhauer did not rate solitude negatively. In modern terms, I would say that he refused to be categorized either as alpha (group leader) or beta (group member).
In “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851) and other books that Schopenhauer wrote after moving to Frankfurt, he illustrates how to use solitude to develop tranquillity and inner peace.
Unless you carve a private space of total quietness, you might be driven by the pressures and expectations of society. Unless you cultivate self-awareness, your decisions will be distorted and polluted by the noise of the world.
Schopenhauer and the best use of solitude
Schopenhauer pointed out that solitude is also necessary for artistic contemplation. Quietness can substantially enhance the joys of music, architecture, painting, literature, and other arts.
One also needs solitude to acquire habits to counter the dire influence of the will. I am referring to habits such as prudence, self-discipline, foresight, equanimity and steadfastness. Those habits are impossible to acquire in a gregarious environment.
Knowing oneself, argued Schopenhauer, requires solitude, quietness and thoughtfulness; we are fully ourselves only when we are are alone. Solitude helps us develop self-reliance, self-confidence, and a strong sense of purpose.
According to Schopenhauer, solitude enables us to separate our motivation from the will. In the absence of quiet reflection, the will takes control of human life.
Schopenhauer and skills development in solitude
The will prompts us to seek self-preservation, reproduction, and short-term pleasure, without assessing the cost and risks. It is up to each person to step aside and identify his own goals.
Schopenhauer devoted endless solitary hours to cultivate his talents, and elevate himself to the category of genius. He put in the effort to sharpen his philosophical and literary skills to very high levels, by practising those skills in solitude.
The fact that Schopenhauer devoted thousands of solitary hours to developing his talents leads me to disagree with his definition of genius as something innate and statistically rare.
Schopenhauer’s definition of genius underlies the following quotation: “Talented people can hit targets that no one else can hit, but geniuses can hit targets that other people cannot even see.”
By attributing off-the-charts performance levels to geniuses, Schopenhauer is disregarding his own experience. It took him decades of solitary study and reflection to develop his skills. If he had not deployed those efforts, he wouldn’t have developed the theory of the will and other insights.
Schopenhauer and the sigma personality
Solitude, or at least isolation in the middle of a crowd, gives people a chance to read books, assimilate ideas, and draw fresh conclusions. It is simply unworkable to read serious books in a noisy, gregarious environment. Reading and understanding are tasks for individual souls. They cannot be shared or delegated.
As I have mentioned above, Schopenhauer would not have allowed anyone to categorize him as alpha or beta. He did not care to lead or be led; his only concern was to identify the truth and live accordingly.
In modern terminology, I would categorize Schopenhauer as a sigma personality because he loved independence, quietness, learning and thoughtfulness.
Self-reliance and self-confidence are primary characteristics of sigma personalities. Schopenhauer possessed those qualities to remarkable high levels.
I commend you to familiarize yourself with Schopenhauer’s life and works because they teach us how to make the best of periods of quietness, find our lifetime mission, and enjoy each day to the maximum.
If you are interested in applying rational principles to all kind of situations, I recommend you my book “Sequentiality: The amazing power of finding the right sequence of steps.”
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