Isolation: aloneness, privacy, seclusion, separateness, solitariness….1 solitude: the quality or state of being alone or remote from society.2 We humans are gregarious creatures. It is our nature to gather in groups. So, it’s not surprising that isolation and solitude have long been associated with those who don’t fit in — cranks, misfits, hermits, religious zealots. However, in our pandemic era, isolation and solitude have taken on global importance as a means of avoiding or spreading the lethal Covid-19 virus. As a consequence, it is likely that more people are isolated now than ever before.

Isolation is a concept that has long been connected with healthcare. When a patient with an infectious disease is separated from others, he or she is less likely to spread the illness to others. Solitude, a related term, describes those who choose aloneness in order to facilitate some personal pursuit — e.g., writers, poets, thinkers, philosophers, and scientists who need to shut out interference from the outside world in order to focus on their work.

Pros and Cons

Oxford scholar J. […]