Solipsism: what it is, characteristics, examples and criticism of this philosophy
"I only know that I exist, and everything else exists only in my mind." In this way, the main idea of solipsism could be defined, a doctrine belonging to subjectivism that maintains that the only thing we can be sure of is our own Self.
Present in the ideas of Descartes and Berkeley, this radical current points out that we can only affirm that the own I, something that, in reality, is empirically correct, although not for that reason it has been freed from a multitude of critics. Let's delve into what solipsism is and what its main postulates are.
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What is solipsism?
The word "solipsism" is composed of the Latin "solus" (alone) and "ipse" (same), coming to mean "only oneself". The name of this doctrine is quite introductory, since it is about the philosophical current that affirms that there is only our own consciousness and that everything around us is, in reality, a product of our imagination or a representation created by ourselves. Solipsists believe that nothing really exists except the self and our minds.
For solipsism, each individual can only certify the existence of his mind. The reality, according to this doctrine, is that it is the result of our state of mind. What we call "real" or "external" can only be understood through the Self, since there is no other concrete reality beyond such an I. It is not possible to have knowledge of an objective reality, because there is not, for this reason it is said that solipsism is a current of subjectivism and seen as radical.
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Main postulates of solipsism
Within solipsism we can highlight the following postulates:
1. We can only confirm our own existence
Solipsism asserts that each one, as an individual, can only confirm its own existence and no other. What makes up our “reality”, such as things, animals, plants and people, may exist for me and may or may not have consciousness.
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2. Our thoughts are the only true
The thoughts of each one are the only elements of our reality that are really true.. In the world there is nothing but the individual and the consciousness of him.
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3. Own experiences are private
Our own experiences are private. It is not possible to know the experiences of others, nor to know if they are similar to one's own.
4. The self is the only real existence
The Self itself is the only real existence, and what we know as the external world It is nothing more than a perception that starts from within our “I”. Everything is reduced to the sphere of the Self and we cannot escape from it. Nothing has real independence.
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5. Conscious mind vs. unconscious mind
Solipsists divide the universe in two. On the one hand, we would have the part controlled by our conscious mind, and on the other, the part controlled by the unconscious mind.
6. science doesn't work
From the solipsistic perspective, science does not make sense because all knowledge starts and is created from the individual's own sensation.
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solipsistic philosophy
It is inevitable to speak of solipsism without mentioning the figure of René Descartes and his epistemological idealism. Well-known is his phrase "I think, therefore I am", or "cogito ergo sum" for those who prefer the Latin bliss. The point is that the idea behind this saying emanates an evident existential solipsism, with the idea that reality is made up of our own being, our own existence.
Descartes considered that our knowledge was knowledge of ideas. Knowledge about the shape, size, color and other qualities of things would not be, in the opinion of the French philosopher, knowledge of such things, but the idea of such things, which have been formed in our consciousness from what we perceive In this way, the content of my knowledge would be the ideas of my consciousness.
We have another solipsistic perspective in metaphysical idealism, whose one of its greatest champions was George Berkeley. This Irish philosopher and bishop thought that the world we call external to the mind did not really exist independently of our minds. For him, walking through the world would be similar to walking through the mind.
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Criticism of solipsism
Although, certainly, the only thing we can be sure of is our own individual existence, the truth is that there are many arguments that debunk solipsistic ideas. One of them is the existence of suffering: if in reality it is an individual creation, why would someone take it upon themselves to create suffering for themselves?
Another would be the existence of language: why do we need to have a communication system to use with other people if they do not exist outside our mind?
Another argument to criticize solipsism is the idea of death, whether natural or caused by another person.. Given this, the question is unavoidable as to whether what happens to the mind after death, does it survive or does it go with the body? And if we are killed, is the attack real or imagined? Why do we believe/imagine the end of life? What is the point of being killed by something that is a product of our mind?
The existence of pain is very difficult to justify if we are the only creators of reality. Faced with such criticism, solipsists maintain that, in reality, the pain that we "cause" ourselves has a purpose, either as a kind of unconscious karma or a search to feel new emotions and, thus, feel alive. Some solipsists are directly deniers of pain and death, which do not exist, defending that they are the people outside solipsism who believe in these phenomena because they are subjected to different impositions sociocultural.
Another counterargument to criticism of solipsists, both related to pain and language, is the need not to get bored. That's right, part of the solipsists defend that both pain and communication arise so that we do not feel boredom. While critics of solipsism maintain that language is used to communicate with other humans, as solipsists do not admit the existence of others, they defend that it serves to entertain us, imagining other people and conversing with they.
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Some examples of solipsism
As a final point, we are going to talk about some properly solipsistic examples extracted from cinema and literature.
Life is a dream (Calderón de la Barca, 1635)
In this work by the Spanish writer we are told about Segismundo who, being locked up in a tower for his entire life and without real contact with the outside world, he wonders if the world he sees through the window is real or, on the contrary, an invention of his own consciousness to escape from the sad reality of it.
The electric ant (Philip K. Dick, 1969)
This science fiction tale features Garson Poople who, after suffering a traffic accident, wakes up and begins to experience strange things. He is missing a hand, he has turned into a robotic electric ant, and his reality seems to be created through a micro-perforated tape located on his chest. Garson believes that all of his reality is made up and that the only real thing is himself.
Open your eyes (Alejandro Amenábar, 1997)
This film stars César, a rich and handsome young man, lucky to have everything he wants. However, one day his life changes 180º when he suffers a traffic accident that disfigures his face and in which a girl dies. From then on, his life becomes hell, losing his beauty and his girlfriend. To escape from such a tragic destiny, César is creating a parallel reality in which he is happy, but in the end it will not be able to distinguish between what is real and what is not. César realizes that everything that exists has actually been created by his mind.
