Solitude/loneliness and fragility: fragments of an history between past and present
FBK Aula Piccola
Fondazione Bruno Kessler - Polo delle Scienze Umane e sociali
Aula Piccola
FBK Aula Piccola
Fondazione Bruno Kessler - Polo delle Scienze Umane e sociali
Aula Piccola
Drawing from the success of his essay A History of Solitude (2021), the author reflects on a theme that spans centuries—from Aristotle to social networks—transcending rigid disciplinary boundaries to provide high-level scholarly outreach. At the heart of this reflection lies the experience of COVID-19, which acted as a dramatic “multiplier of inequality.” As social distancing became a collective norm, the vulnerabilities of the elderly, prisoners, and frontline workers became glaringly evident, turning isolation into a “public fear” often exploited by populism.
Solitude is not a static concept but a “sentiment-system,” a prism in which body and mind converge. This condition is inextricably linked to human fragility and has evolved throughout history: from the divine punishment found in Greek tragedies to the compassion of Euripides and the disenchantment of Seneca; from Augustine’s inner torment to the theological crossroads between Luther’s “bondage of the will” and Erasmus’s freedom. In the Baroque seventeenth century, the melancholy of artists like Salvator Rosa and the analyses of Robert Burton projected individual distress onto the political crises of the era. Ultimately, the text suggests that fragility should not be treated as an ailment to be cured, but embraced as a fundamental structure of existence, requiring a vital balance between reason and emotion.
AURELIO MUSI | University of Salerno
Cycle of Seminars: “Solitude and Communion in Religion and Ethics“
Scientific coordination: Massimo Leone, FBK-ISR
The event, organized by FBK’s Center for Religious Studies, will be held in Italian.
The event will be in-person in the FBK Aula Piccola, while seats last, and online.
Registration by March 13, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. is required so as to arrange the connection.
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Image: AdobeStock_518968971
Speakers
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Aurelio Musi - SpeakerUniversity of SalernoAurelio Musi was a Full Professor of Modern History at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Salerno, where he also served as Dean and Department Head. He has taught at both Italian and American universities and is currently a contract professor at the University of Milan (La Statale). He is a member of the Real Academia de la Historia in Madrid and an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. Co-editor of the "Nuova Rivista Storica," he is a columnist for the Neapolitan edition of "La Repubblica" and contributes to various newspapers and periodicals. Among his many published volumes, the most recent include: "The Empire of Viceroys" (2013), "Masaniello" (2018), "A Nursery of History: Europe in the Modern World" (2020), "Philip IV" (2021), "Unity, Disunity, Bad Unity" (2021), "A History of Solitude" (2021), and "Maria Sofia, the Last Queen of the South" (2022).
Registration
Registration to this event is mandatory.
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Organizers
The initiative was also realized thanks to the contribution of "Direzione generale Educazione, ricerca e istituti culturali" of the Ministry of Culture.