Literally, ‘only-oneselfism’.
An extreme form of skepticism, saying that nothing exists beyond oneself and one’s immediate experiences.
Seldom held deliberately, it is more likely to be fallen into by those who find themselves in the egocentric predicament, perhaps through holding solipsism as a methodological theory; that in enquiring into a certain area it is best, or inevitable, to start from oneself and one’s immediate knowledge.
One objection is that one cannot even state it coherently, since to do so requires that one possess concepts one could never obtain were solipsism true: what could words like T or ‘my’ mean except against a background of what is not me or mine?
Also see: private language argument
Table of Contents
Last update 2020-06-17. Price and product availability may change.