Solipsism - Philosophy Based Solely on Self

Initially presented as the philosophical explanation of human knowledge of the external world, solipsism revolves around the ontological belief and skeptical hypothesis that states existence consists of the mental capacity and experience of one's own mind. According to the philosophy of solipsism, the existence of things outside of an individual's own mental state cannot be proven.

The Greek presocratic philosopher, Gorgias was the first to record solipsistic theory, stating that 1) nothing exists; 2) even if something exists, nothing can be known about it; and 3) even if something could be known about it, knowledge can't be communicated with others. The foundations that Gorgias set in 400 BC has evolved, mostly in part of Descartes.

In the 17^th century, French philosopher Rene Descartes who extensively studied epistemology or the theory of knowledge and the limitations of human knowledge began to delve into the theories of solipsism in order to find a credible solution of the "problem of other minds". The problem of other minds is traditionally accepted to be an epistemological challenge raised by skeptics that the mentality of another person cannot be proven by simply observing their behavior. Though the solipsism beliefs deny the existence of other minds and Descartes does not, his philosophical breakthrough in the 1600s helped the further development of solipsism.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Descartes resolved that an individual's understanding of the world depends on their own mind state and inner experience. In this development, Descartes brought the idea, "I think therefore I am" to become a popular inference of solipsist philosophy. The contemporary theory of solipsism revolves around three broad philosophical presumptions, which according to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, is 1) my most certain knowledge is that of my own mind, thoughts, and experience; 2) there is no concept or logical link between mental states and physical behavioral and materialistic dispositions 3) the experience, thoughts, and mind state of a given person is private to that person.

These three principals where observed by John Locke, who according to IEP concluded that if an individual does possess the knowledge of the minds of others that knowledge is an indirect inference or analogy to one's own perception.

An example of an analogy comparing oneself with the outer world:

"I am a living human being, as are these others. I see about me living human beings and the argument from analogy is supposed to allow me to infer that these are persons like myself." (IEP)

The analogy clearly contradicts the beliefs of solipsism and it is because of this and the fact that perception is the driving factor of solipsistic ideals that this theory's credibility is constantly questioned. Many philosophers argue that solipsism defies logic and common sense. Even if everything outside of an individual is a dream, dreams are still entities that require explanation. Conscious Entities claims that is virtually impossible to disprove solipsism because it is based on individual perception, which makes it internally consistent.

There are few to none, well-known person that truly adheres to the beliefs of solipsism. However, developmental psychologists widely agree that infants and children are solipsism or suffer from solipsism syndrome, which is the conducive state of mind that nothing exist except oneself, because young children care only about themselves and perceive the world in relation to themselves until they learn to empathize.

The philosophical theory of solipsism relies on egocentric views and the lack of experiencing empathy. Not only is it egocentric and antisocial philosophy, but it also defies reality and common sense, by viewing the world in relativity to one's own thoughts and experience. However, it is hypothesized that in the event of nuclear holocaust or some other devastation, a human being would naturally begin thinking in a solipsistic manner, that nothing and no one exist besides their mind.