Others as a Hell, the Problem of Isolation and Mysticism in Cioran's Philosophy

Abstract

The study examines the problem of isolation in the thought of Emil Cioran, drawing on an existential perspective close to Jean-Paul Sartre’s idea that “hell is other people.” Cioran argues that isolation arises from the conflict with the “other,” who seeks to dominate the self. Society, as the clearest manifestation of this “other,” restricts individual freedom, strips away humanity, and turns the person into a conformist driven by hypocrisy. Rather than liberating the individual, it imposes a harsher, forced isolation within the crowd. Cioran therefore advocates replacing it with voluntary isolation, through which one can realize one’s essence and achieve inner satisfaction, even at the cost of social rejection. He also emphasizes withdrawal into the inner self to confront sorrow and despair, leading to indifference. Mysticism, for him, represents the religious form of isolation through exclusive devotion to God.