Solipsism is one of the most interesting theories of the mind. Why?
Solipsism is a theory that states that you are the only person who exists in the world, and all any other objects are a figment of your imagination. Some people believe in this theory so much that there is even a syndrome of solipsism. Not only solipsists and philosophers in general know the meaning of solipsism - you probably also experienced solipsism as a child (child solipsism). If you are not afraid to start doubting the existence of other people, then read on …
Think about your childhood. What are your first memories? Most people can only trace their memories back to when they were about 3 or 4 years old. Chances are, you won't be able to remember what happened before your 2nd birthday. So how do you know what happened before that?
Your parents probably told you about this age. But how can you know that you were born at all if you do not remember it yourself? Maybe it's just a figment of your imagination? Solipsists claim that the only thing you can be sure of is your own mind. Because of this, you cannot know for sure that the outside world exists. Chances are that you yourself have created the world that you know, and it exists only in your mind. Maybe this article does not really exist, and only your mind created the illusion that someone wrote it?
There are some philosophers who do not reject the point of view of solipsism and argue that they cannot know if the external world exists or not. Among them there are philosophers who believe in metaphysical solipsism, claiming that "I" is the only true and independent reality.
Ancient Greek sophist and orator Gorgias of Leontine (circa 485 - 380 BC)
So, summing up the main ideas of solipsism, we present to you the arguments of Gorgias of Leontin, who is considered the father of solipsism:
Since it is impossible to prove these claims to be wrong, most people reject them just because they feel they are wrong. However, scholars still cannot provide compelling reasons to completely reject the ideas of solipsism.
You probably won't be surprised that people who live in isolation for a long period of time often question the reality of the outside world and often begin to suffer from the syndrome of solipsism (similar to depersonalization disorder - these are cases when a person begins to feel unreality, strange what is happening or to distance themselves from themselves), sooner or later they begin to believe that the world is nothing but a figment of their imagination … Isn't that scary?
Do you think the reality around us is real or is it a figment of our imagination? We are waiting for your answers in the comments.