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Unkurg
Lv 5
Unkurg asked in Arts & HumanitiesPhilosophy · 1 decade ago

Does solipsism mean...?

My question may seem facetious to some, not to mention a blatant rip-off of a famous movie tag-line, but...

Does solipsism mean never having to say you're sorry?

Think about it a bit and see what conclusions you come up with.

3 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    No, solipsism doesn't preclude feelings of empathy or guilt. Even though reality would be a completely subjective experience, it still plays by it's own rules and therefore a complete absence of consideration for people would still create problems for you. However, this fact does not require someone to feel sorry either. In my opinion the dilemma has nothing to do with the concept of solipsism.

  • 5 years ago

    It developed out of George Berkeley's idealism ontology. Berkeley says that you can only have access to your own perceptions, and if something isn't perceived does it exist or happen? (If a tree falls in the forest does it make a noise?) Berkeley says yes because 'God' is watching it. But for those non believers of 'God' then it leaves you with solipsism, because there is no way to prove that anyone else exists. Even if someone else tells you they exists, you don't know if you are just making that person up and making them say those things... You may ask if I am the only one that exists why isn't my life perfect... Well you could have been bored and 'intentionally' forgotten to do certain things. It isn't very popular...it is a branch off of idealism, and idealism is no longer very popular...I personally like Solipsism. Most don't know what it is and if they do, they don't agree with it.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Not really, b/c even if u think you are the only real person, you cant control the actions of others. if you want to be alone, u can follow that philosophy of course.

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