Yes, we could say that each philosopher should have their exile decade, though not necessarily in a literal sense. Nietzsche’s exile decade (1879–1888) serves as a paradigm for the necessary rupture, displacement, and solitude that a thinker must undergo to reach the depth and originality of their philosophy. But what does it mean for a philosopher to have an “exile decade”?
1. Exile as Philosophical Method
Nietzsche’s exile wasn’t just about physical displacement; it was an existential and intellectual severance from the traditions, institutions, and dogmas that shaped him. This suggests that every philosopher must undergo their own form of exile—a period of breaking away from inherited ideas and systems to create something truly original.
• Example: Descartes’ voluntary isolation (solitude studieuse) in the Netherlands (1629–1649) allowed him to develop his radical doubt and the foundations of modern rationalism.
• Example: Heidegger’s “inner exile” after WWII, when he withdrew from public intellectual life and produced some of his most introspective works (Contributions to Philosophy).
→ The Lesson: A philosopher’s exile decade is when they detach from the familiar world to think without constraints.
2. Exile as a Psychological and Existential Trial
Exile is not just a change of location—it is often a trauma. Nietzsche’s exile decade was marked by illness, isolation, and growing estrangement from his former friends (Wagner, Lou Salomé). Yet, this suffering was also the crucible of his greatest philosophical insights.
• Example: Spinoza’s excommunication from the Jewish community (1656) forced him into an intellectual exile, leading to the radical development of his Ethics.
• Example: Kierkegaard, though not physically exiled, experienced spiritual exile from Danish society, shaping his existentialist critique of the crowd and Christian hypocrisy.
→ The Lesson: A philosopher’s exile decade is often a period of crisis, estrangement, and suffering—but it is also when their philosophy becomes most authentic.
3. Exile as the Break from Institutional Thinking
Most philosophers begin within established frameworks—academia, traditions, cultural norms—but their true originality only emerges when they break away.
• Example: Marx’s exile in London (1849–1883) was crucial to his revolutionary thinking—outside the structures of European politics, he could analyze capitalism from the margins.
• Example: Deleuze & Guattari’s deterritorialization—they argue that thought itself must go into exile, breaking away from fixed identities and becoming a nomadic force (Nomadology).
→ The Lesson: The philosopher’s exile decade is when they unlearn institutional constraints and create something beyond tradition.
4. The Ethical and Political Dimension of Exile
Some philosophers’ exile decades are imposed by political persecution. In these cases, exile is not just a personal choice but a confrontation with history.
• Example: Walter Benjamin’s exile in Paris and his desperate flight from the Nazis, leading to his final reflections on history before his tragic suicide in 1940.
• Example: Hannah Arendt’s exile from Nazi Germany forced her to rethink totalitarianism, statelessness, and the meaning of politics.
→ The Lesson: Exile can force a philosopher to confront the historical realities of power, oppression, and displacement.
5. Can Exile Be Internal?
Not all exile decades involve physical displacement. Some thinkers experience an internal exile—a turning away from the mainstream to explore new intellectual terrain.
• Example: Wittgenstein’s retreat from academia after Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, living in remote villages and working as a schoolteacher, before returning with a radically transformed philosophy.
• Example: Foucault’s intellectual exile from structuralism, leading him to genealogy and biopolitics.
→ The Lesson: Exile doesn’t have to be geographical—it can be an intellectual exodus from established thought.
Conclusion: The Philosopher’s Exile Decade as a Rite of Passage
If Nietzsche’s exile decade teaches us anything, it’s that philosophy demands rupture, solitude, and reinvention. Whether through physical exile, intellectual exile, or existential rupture, every great thinker seems to have a period where they step outside the known world and let their thought take them into the unknown.
So, should every philosopher have their exile decade? Yes—if they are serious about philosophy as an act of true thinking, rather than mere commentary on existing ideas. Nietzsche’s exile decade was his ascent to radical originality. Perhaps every philosopher must face their own period of displacement and crisis to break through to something genuinely new.
