The Shared Life

ABSTRACT We are social animals that seek to live a life that is, in some sense, shared with others. But what exactly do we want in wanting to live a shared life? First, I seek to show that this question is not as straightforward as it might initially appear. Second, I present an answer to this question, which makes reference to the thought that we have a need for an irreducibly relational form of emotional experience, which I call “interpersonal connection.” Third, and finally, I draw upon this answer to identify the harm implicated in the experience of loneliness.