Valparaiso University is hosting an event addressing issues of isolation in contemporary society titled “Loneliness and Solitude: A Conference” on Monday, March 21 from 4–6:30 p.m. at the Mueller Refractory Auditorium.
An “epidemic of loneliness” has been recognized by medical experts and psychologists as gripping the contemporary United States even before COVID-19 made its impact on the world stage, with research data pointing to diminishing forms of group involvement and the fraying of social bonds along with upticks in isolation as some of the causes of this issue.
“This conference was designed to undertake a fundamental inquiry into this sad phenomenon, providing space to talk about its causes, conditions, and consequences — as well as possible remedies,” Thomas Albert Howard, Ph.D., Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Chair in Christian Ethics and professor of humanities, said.
Some of the questions the conference will address include the impact of context and historical forces on loneliness and solitude versus its status as part of the human condition, how we can thoughtfully address these phenomena and how humanities scholars can meaningfully contribute to the discussion.
Participants in the conference include Ian Marcus Corbin, Ph.D., co-director of the Human Network Initiative at Brigham and Women’s Hospital of Harvard Medical School and senior follow at Capita, an independent think tank, and Samantha Rose Hill, Ph.D., assistant director of the Hannah Ardent Center for Politics and Humanities, visiting assistant professor of politics at Bard College and associate faculty at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research in New York City.
The event is free and open to the public. The conference is sponsored by Christ College — The Honors College of Valparaiso University, the Duesenberg Chair in Ethics and Sodalitas Christiana.