Existential Loneliness : A Jaspersian analysis with practical application to human-robot interaction

Abstract: In this thesis, I will discuss the conceptualization of existential loneliness in the early writings of the German psychiatrist and philosopher Karl Jaspers (1883-1969), especially his lecture “Einsamkeit” (1915/1916) and Philosophie (1932). I will try to elucidate the dynamics and processes involved in existential loneliness and its overcoming in existential communication. I will show that the shared objective world is the only medium for existential communication. The intersubjective encounter in the shared objective world is the occasion for the reciprocal taking/demanding responsibility, which will stimulate the inner dialectical movement of existential loneliness, i.e., between autonomy and authenticity. I will argue that existential loneliness is not something substantially negative or a disease that we must cure but a vital and creative process that makes us human. Blocking this process will have devastating consequences since it will impede the isolated person from being him/herself. Furthermore, I will discuss a few possible applications of the examined processes in human-robot interaction since the efficiency of the robots in helping humans overcome their existential loneliness will depend on their capacity to perform the processes discussed in this thesis.