# Solipsism **Solipsism** is the theory that only one mind exists and that what appears to be external reality is only a dream taking place in that mind. It cannot be logically disproved. The solipsist is essentially the “thinker” or the sole conscious being. In this philosophical view, only the self—one’s own mind—is known to exist for certain, while the existence of an external world or other minds is seen as uncertain or unknowable. The solipsist thus considers their mind to be the origin and possibly the sole reality, as all experiences and perceptions are filtered through, or even potentially generated by, their own consciousness. Reality might consist of one person, presumably you, dreaming a lifetime’s experiences. Or it might consist of just you and me. Or just the planet Earth and its inhabitants, as would be the case if [Earth is Enclosed in a Giant Planetarium](Earth%20is%20Enclosed%20in%20a%20Giant%20Planetarium.md). And if we dreamed evidence — any evidence — of the existence of other people, or other planets, or other universes, that would prove nothing about how many of those things there really are. The have been very few, if any, genuine solipsists in history. Solipsism is usually defended only as a means of *attacking* scientific reasoning, or as a stepping-stone to one of its many variants. By the same token, we can [Defend Science by Arguing Against Arbitrary Boundaries](Defend%20Science%20by%20Arguing%20Against%20Arbitrary%20Boundaries.md). For at it's core Solipsism is really just arguing for another [Arbitrary Boundary Beyond Which Human Reason Cannot Access](Arbitrary%20Boundaries%20Beyond%20Which%20Human%20Reason%20Cannot%20Access.md). ## Solipsism on Steroids There are theories even more extreme than Solipsism. For instance, consider the theory that only one's own mind exists *and* that one cannot gain knowledge of it through introspection. This would be a radical form of [Skepticism](Skepticism.md) or [Nihilism](Nihilism.md). This theory would question the knowability of anything at all, including the mind itself. This theory can yet again obliterated by [Defending Science by Arguing Against Arbitrary Boundaries](Defend%20Science%20by%20Arguing%20Against%20Arbitrary%20Boundaries.md). --- Date: 20240913 Links to: [Fabric of Reality](Fabric%20of%20Reality.md) Chapter 4 [Earth is Enclosed in a Giant Planetarium](Earth%20is%20Enclosed%20in%20a%20Giant%20Planetarium.md) [Permutation City](Permutation%20City.md) [Brain in a Vat](Brain%20in%20a%20Vat.md) [Descartes Evil Demon](Descartes%20Evil%20Demon.md) Tags: References: * []()