From the Principia Cybernetica Web :
"Solipsism is the theory that locates reality entirely in the mind of
the beholder. It specifically denies the existence of involuntary
experiences with an outside world be it through direct perception of
something or through vicarious experiences created in the process of
communication." (Source URL is...
http://pespmc1.vub.a...SOLIPSISM.html) That was a pretty good definition! Wordy though. How about this
definition from "MCB 61 - Brain, Mind and Behavior
An introduction for non-scientists to functions of brains - 3 units
class from University of California at Berkeley:.
"Solipsism: the theory that a self knows only its constructs." (Source
URL is...
http://sulcus.berkel...1sp96.lec1.html )
That was brief but, somehow, vague too. I prefered the one from the
Principia Cybernetica Web. But here's another brief one that is much
clearer (in ordinary English anyway). It is by Harry Erwin, a PhD
student in comp neurosci:
"Epistemological (not metaphysical!) solipsism holds that for the
individual the internal state is all that is directly observable."
(Source URL is...
http://www.ai.sri.co...list/0457.html).
That one said that there is more than one type of solipsism! Here is
another mention of "epistomological solipsism":
"Epistemological (the study or science of knowing/knowledge) solipsism
involves the idea that each individual "knows"/perceives the world in a
unique way, precisely because each person's
knowledge/apprehension/perception/awareness of the world is unique."
(Source URL...
http://sulcus.berkel...1sp96.mt1.html) Are there other types of solipsism? Well, from the resume of Steven
Davis (a Professor of Philosophy): his "Research Interests are
pragmatics, philosophy of language and theory of action and belief;
methodological solipsism as a research strategy for cognitive science;
nature of pragmatic phenomena and how they fit within cognitive
science." (Source URL...
http://fas.sfu.ca/cs...ers/davis.html) Here are some more:
"Right. The title of this page kind of makes it pointless for me to tell
you anything, as you are all figments of my imagination. And, as such,
you already have the access to all that I already know. But to whom, if
not themselves, are solipsists supposed to comment upon their skewed
world-views? Accordingly, I'll pretend that you are all real."
(
http://www-ts.cs.obe...st/provost.html)
and
"They are all the same. Every one is an aspect of the one.
And the one is nothing. It can never be anything. It never
was anything. It is a nonentity. Imagination is all that
exists. Everything else is just a product of imagination.
"The world does not exist. Nothing exists. All of time is
just fictious. This moment exists. Nothing more, possibly
less. The past--your imagination. The present--you con-
ceived it. The future--you just believe it. Your eyes or
ears or fingers observing these words have been cleverly
dreamed up by you. Neither I nor this exits.
" Nothing can change, will change, is changing, has changed,
would change, once changed, changes, should change, short
changed. There is no way to change because only now and
less than now can or does exist."
(
http://www.netusa.ne.../solipsism.html)
