Philosophy

Where do you stand on solipsism? I see it as foundational to virtually everything else (in a first principles kind of way), and yet it is almost universally brushed aside as irrelevant, which I find oddly frustrating.

Where do you stand on solipsism? I see it as foundational to virtually everything else (in a first principles kind of way), and yet it is almost universally brushed aside as irrelevant, which I find oddly frustrating.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solipsism

PhD in aviation ∩ climate science | Aviator, diver, ETH maxi, nexialist | Host of /diving /ethfinance /eth-staker /geopolitics /science /singapore /thomas

Solipsism unnecessarily complicates reality by asserting that external experiences are merely internal thoughts, adhering to the same rules as realism but with added, unwarranted assumptions. Essentially, it's a convoluted version of realism, adding complexity without offering a more accurate understanding of the world

This take is based on the refutation against solipsism described by David Deutsch in “The Fabric of Reality”. It’s worth reading.

I read it years ago. I think the same refutation can be made of the adjacent simulation hypothesis: if we live in a perfectly simulated reality, then does it really matter that’s is simulated? All the standard rules still apply. That’s the “irrelevant” part of solipsism’s treatment and it still bothers me