Philosophy

Questions tagged [solipsism]

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The position that only one's own existence can be demonstrated to exist (and that everything and everyone else cannot.)

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I could prove: Solipsism is wrong. Is my argument acceptable?

Solipsism is the idea that one cannot be sure of anyone's existence but only themself. I think that one can assume this idea to be right and then prove that this is wrong. This self-inconsistency ...
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6answers
217 views

How can there be multiple “points of view” in the world?

Let's assume the world is defined as everything there is. Then subjective experiences are included in the world, and they are "things". Then each subjective experience has a point of view through ...
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How does Berkeley justify existence of other minds?

I don't understand how Berkeley justifies existence of other minds in his system. Is it something that he takes for granted? Because, his position seems very close to that of a solipsist except for ...
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Solipsism, Certainty, and Doubt

Given that solipsism implies epistemological certainty of one's world, because there is nothing more to know than that what a solipsist knows about the world (implying that the world and reality are ...
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1answer
142 views

How to make sense of minds of others? [closed]

I've asked a question about the criteria for existence, but here I want to focus on a particular aspect. What does it mean If I say: Bob has a mind - Bob's mind exists - Bob is not a philosophical ...
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Using solipsism's incoherence with doubt as proof of the external world?

I have the following rough outline of utilizing solipsism as a proof by contradiction to the goal of asserting an epistemological proof of the external world. A solipsist (Wittgenstian) lives in a ...
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70 views

Can a solipsist doubt?

I've been thinking about epistemological solipsism, which seemingly necessarily follows from metaphysical solipsism. Namely, that the "world" of the solipsist is one and the same with the self of the ...
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1answer
103 views

Has any philosopher claimed that reality is a simulation, and the evil genius wants us to stay alive, in order to explain what seems like a miracle? [closed]

Has any philosopher claimed that reality is a simulation, and the evil genius wants us to stay alive, in order for that philosopher to explain what seems like a miracle? Would anyone ever admit to ...
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1answer
173 views

Does Valberg's “personal horizon” entail life after death?

The personal horizon is, Valberg contends, the subject matter whose center each of us occupies, and which for each of us ceases with death. This ceasing to be presents itself solipsistically not ...
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4answers
545 views

Is Solipsism self-defeating?

If only my mind existed it would have to create the concept of time but nothing can be created without time, therefore solipsism is self-defeating. Shouldn't this automatically rule out solipsism?
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352 views

Why does the dream argument posit that the senses are untrustworthy when it's the mind that is being tricked?

According to the wiki of the dream argument, "the act of dreaming provides preliminary evidence that the senses we trust to distinguish reality from illusion should not be fully trusted, and therefore,...
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Refuting Solipsism

Here is yet another opportunity for philosophy to shine: Let it refute solipsism. If the question is going to turn on what solipsism is, there are probably more interesting words to look up in the ...
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What (if anything) is wrong with solipsism?

Many people disagree and reject the idea of solipsism. But is there anything to refute the idea that only I exist ? I exist : what rational grounds are there for believing that anyone else does ? ...
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208 views

Does idealism allow other minds?

Wikipedia: Idealism is the group of metaphysical philosophies that asserts that reality, or reality as humans can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. ...
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125 views

bypass for morality, proof of consciousness

Logically morality can stem from thinking that other people are just as living / human as yourself, so you shouldn't do to others what you don't want to be done to you. But this can be bypassed by ...
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686 views

Why does all of existence take place through my subjective point of view?

Asking such a question almost seems a bit insane. While I agree that there certainly seems to exist an objective external reality of which I seem to be a part of, I can never experience existence in a ...
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3answers
501 views

Does Bitcoin disprove solipsism?

According to Wikipedia, solipsism is the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist. In 1993, Cynthia Dwork and Moni Naor proposed the idea that one could use proof-of-work to ...
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Does the Private Language Argument (PLA) succeed in showing that some form of public extra mental world exists?

Quoted from http://www.iep.utm.edu/solipsis/: One might even say, solipsism is necessarily foundationless, for to make an appeal to logical rules or empirical evidence the solipsist would ...
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Is there an atheistic idealism that rejects noumena but isn't solipsism?

I know of one answered question on a similar subject, but mine is not quite the same thing. Berkeley's idealism holds that to be is to be perceived---nothing can exist, or can be thought to exist, ...
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How do I prove that all people are illusion and only I am real in this world? [duplicate]

I am sure that, I am the only real person who is living in this world and all you all just illusion. My brain works in two ways it creates the world and makes me feel it i.e it only generates both ...
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2answers
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Has any philosopher ever gone a step beyond solipsism and argued that nothing exists?

I've heard that an example of an absolute certainty, is that there is a reality. i.e. that something exists. I cannot imagine how one could argue that nothing exists. I know that even solipsists ...
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What did Thomas Nagel intend to distinguish, in distinguishing 'impression' vs 'perception of reality'?

Source: pp 15-16, What Does It All Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy (1987) by Prof. Thomas Nagel  According to this view, the idea of a dream from which you can never wake up is not ...
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616 views

Does the Denial of the External World Lead to Solipsism?

Denying the external world essentially denies the existence of everyone else. I become only sure of that which I am aware of myself. I thought perhaps Berkeley might have undergone a similar ...
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What is Wittgenstein's “criterial solution” to the problem of other minds?

I'm having difficulty with the language in this article on the Problem of Other Minds. It provides 3 solutions to the epistemological problem of other minds in section 1.1 - "The Epistemological ...
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Is Objective Reality really just the Subjective Agreement of a given group?

The famous quote "Perception is Reality" can lead to solipsism as a philosophy - that perhaps "I" am the only being that exists, and "reality" is only what I am creating it to be through my own ...
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Does idealism allow for thought without any sensory input?

As I understand, idealism is the view that the mind is fundamental and the body as well as the world we perceive are just derivatives of the mind. Is this right? If so, if we had a hypothetical being,...
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Do esoteric mathematical equations refute hard solipsism?

Say you were to come upon a mathematical equation whose variables and sheer complexity were beyond your knowledge at that point in time. As an example, a simple algebraic problem may seem to be a ...
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229 views

Are consistent solipsists limited to the singular when referencing themselves?

If you are an Idealistic Solipsist, is it not true that you must say "I am a Solipsist." or "I am the Solipsist."? One cannot say "I am one of the Solipsists" for example. Are there other ...
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What is the inverse of solipsism?

Solipsism is the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist. Does there exist a term to define the concept that one only exists due to one's perception and interpretation by others' ...
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581 views

Does quantum mechanics imply more than one observer, or can I get away with solipsism because of Occam's razor? [closed]

We really have nothing to say about extreme solipsism other than it's unprovable and untestable. Fine, I accept that. However, doesn't the razor imply solipsism? If I can get away with one observer (...
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Why isn't extreme solipsism the valid interpretation of quantum mechanics? [closed]

Why isn't extreme solipsism the valid interpretation of quantum mechanics? Obviously, as a community, it would be virtually impossible to find a consensus that this is true. I suspect (actually, I ...
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Does anyone have a good answer to or deconstruction of the 'problem of other minds'?

I'm absolutely obsessed with the problem. I've seen many people dismiss it, and I've seen many arguments against it, none of which seem to cut the logical mustard. The problem for me boils down to "...
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Is it necessary/possible to prove that facts exist?

I am having a debate with someone on the internets. He claims that there are no such things as facts absent interpretation. For example, if I see a ball dropping, it's not a fact that a ball is ...
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1k views

Computational counter-argument for solipsism [closed]

First let me elaborate the argument. Take a calculator (wolframalpha, google or other software tools may serve as well). Perform some very complex operation. Write down the operation and the result ...
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Is it possible to refute subjective reality?

Subjective reality as explained here: Subjective Reality (SR), as I describe it, is the perspective that your true identity is the dreamer having the dream, so you are the conscious container in ...
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1answer
432 views

How does Descartes make contact with the world?

Descartes' cogito allows him to deny extreme sceptism; but then how does he actually make contact with the world as opposed to saying - I exist and the world is my (unconscious) invention -, i.e. ...
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What is the difference (if any) between Solipsism and subjective relativism [closed]

I have just come across these two "doctrines", from reading some online articles. After looking up their definitions on Wikipedia, I have to admit that they seem to be synonyms for the same concept. ...
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Can we create the Matrix?

Can we fully simulate the reality for a Brain in the Vat (BIV)? For example i clone myself and connect the clone's brain to a very sophisticated computer, which simulates a part of the universe (for ...
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Convincing a brain in a vat of reality

Pondering at the arguments at wiki: In other words, if a brain in a vat stated "I am a brain in a vat", it would always be stating a falsehood. If the brain making this statement lives in the "...
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Would a conscious computer naturally hold a solipsistic philosophy?

We're biologically incapable of ignoring our senses. I want to clarify what I mean by this, because as posters have suggested we actually can do so, for example by blinding or gouging our eyes. I'm ...
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671 views

Are there philosophers who examined the reasons for believing in the existence of other people?

While I am familiar with Descartes and the oft-quoted idea, I think therefore I am, I am not familiar with any philosophy that actively sought to rationalize that anybody else exists. Are there ...
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Are there any philosophical arguments to disprove or weaken solipsism?

My philosophy professor once told our class: The only people who believe in solipsism are infants and madmen. I was inclined to agree at the time. Yet years later, I have still not encountered any ...
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Is Skepticism the most rational standpoint?

Is Philosophical Skepticism - the one that advocates true knowledge is impossible, the most rational standpoint? I am asking this based on the observation that there are very few things whose ...