Is solipsism likely?

[StormMistress]

Ok so I’ve been delving deep down the philosophical rabbit hole recently and learned the idea of solipsism. Aka there is no self outside one’s own. Only you can exist as it’s impossible to prove anything besides you have a consciousness.

Reality is a result of our mind and nervous system. It gives form to reality like colour, sound etc. Without the mind to interpret and form our reality everything is just a mismatch of atoms.

I personally am of the thought solipsism is a 50/50 chance of being real. There is no way to prove or disprove only you exist. Until it’s possible to see another’s consciousness we can only assume other living beings have consciousness. It’s possible everything outside your mind is but an illusion, a falsity created by your own mind akin to a dream. Perception is easy to fool and we can’t always trust what we perceive.

Are you real? Or are you just a figment of my imagination and consciousness?

Thoughts?

[jshm2]

The easy answer is to slap a solipsist across the face.

If they fight back, then you claim "you have an active imagination". As if you're a "figment of their imagination" then they are crazy and should be "feeling" nothing. You are technically in their "dream" and they must either concede to being full of shit, misinformed, or a slave to doubt.

99% of the time they will walk away red, and embarrassed. Though that 1% they will ask who you are. Take the opportunity to run, before they get you charged for assault.

But every so called solipsist is just full of shit and conjecture. Though more of the former, these days.

[StormMistress]

What about the possibility of a simulated reality? Or that you and everything in reality is a part of the same consciousness. Aka the god answer.

[jshm2]

That's not really the "God answer" as no one mortal can know the infinite that is within the domain of God. But the simulated reality or better known as the holographic universe model is interesting, but unlikely, This is mainly because black holes should exist in such a model and yet they do. But it may be someone will come up with a different proposal for what a black hole actually is in the future.

[StormMistress]

Hmm interesting. I’d say it’s best to keep all options on the table. We can never be sure as we are forever limited in our scope of reality and if all options are possible then it won’t lead to surprise if a truth is eventually found.

[SnowedIn]

I think it is not likely. Here's why: I can touch you and you can touch me. If we agree that we both exist, then we next need to agree that we're both human. Then, if you're human and exist and have a conscience, therefore so must I.

Other humans exist. So, this is a nice thought exercise, but that's it.

[StormMistress]

It’s one thing to touch and converse with another it’s another thing entirely to know if said person you are conversing with has their own consciousness. In dreams we talk and converse with others yet everything is just a part of our subconscious. For all we know everyone you congress with is either a simulated NPC or another part of your consciousness given form. We can never really know without testing to see if another has a consciousness and inner mind workings of their own and actually getting conclusive results.

[Agape93]

Nope. But if I am, I'm just background noise for you.

[Anonymous]

I had a crisis similar to what you are asking about early in college when it seemed to me that every action I did was to please myself. Even if I did something that seems completely altruistic is impossible since seemingly altruistic acts are still done because I like the feeling. I was discussing this while tripping one time and someone came up with what I thought was a totally altruistic act. Seeing an animal hurt causes an unmediated compassionate response on my part. People not so much bt yeah even people but animals often seem so innocent and when they are hurting, I realized that the compassion I felt was not mediated by ego since it was immediate w/o a;lllowing time for the ego to see what it can get out of it.

Strongly recommend micro doses of hallucinogens and some Buddhism that should get you out of the morass of self and all the judgements and opinions we have streaming from that source

[Spunkychicka]

I highly agree with micro dosing!

[Paul_in_Indy]

Usually we discuss solipsism as a means of organizing ideas and reasoning—not so much as a concept in itself.

But you’ve hit upon the starting point of Western epistemology: You are thinking. You know your thoughts and the imply yourself. What else do you know directly?

As Kant explained, we can never the thing itself; only our perception of the thing. It does not follow that things outside ourself do not exist; only that we cannot know directly.

[Petr87]

No, you're a figment of MY imagination! I sometimes wish solipsism were true, then I could just ignore everyone and do as I please. I do believe that many people are NPC's, basically bots, which explains why so many were so eager to be jabbed.

[Guy13]

Self outside the self is called the Soul which functions as overseer of Mind and Body. Once you die, your Soul or “other self” will make itself known.

[LiamJHayden]

If you are the only consciousness and nothing outside of you exists, you cannot step outside into the nothingness to perceive yourself. As I am responding, it is really you speaking to yourself? Seems like a pointless proposition.

[Sixgunsound]

Have you cone across 'the physics of consciousness' yet? How far into Descartes first principles have you gotten?

[loveslongnails]

Try smashing your friend's finger with a hammer... you'll find out if they really exist or not. LOL Then do your own.

[StormMistress]

I can do that in dreams and I know said person is but a figment of my own subconscious ness.

[loveslongnails]

Do you REALLY think everyone else is a figment of your imagination simply because you are not in their head? Or every THING else? Seriously?

[AydenHazor]

Am ia figment of your imagination, it are you a figment of mine? How trusted would it mine have to be to come up with some of the people around?

[StormMistress]

It depends on if it’s true that only you exist then is reality around you an expansion of your own consciousness? Or a simulated reality by something far more advanced?

Or is it the divine path where everything is you and your consciousness is all of reality?

[OfDeath]

Probably not and more importantly, it does nobody any good to behave as if it is.

[StormMistress]

True I like to keep all options on the table though as we are too limited in our scope to ever truly know the truth.

[rabbitzzz]

No MILF. We are created by God. And all of us haves souls.

[msc545]

Nothing is "real".

[StormMistress]

Everything is a construct that our minds give form.

[msc545]

Yes. OR - we are all floating in nutrient tanks and this is the Matrix.