The Latin expression solus ipse , which can be translated as “oneself alone” , gave rise to the concept of solipsism . The term refers to a current of subjectivism that postulates that the only thing that exists is that of which one's own self is conscious .
For solipsism, an individual can only certify the existence of his mind . What is understood by reality, in this framework, is the result of a mental state.
In other words, the real (external) can be understood only through the self, since there is no other concrete reality beyond that self . That is why it is not possible, according to solipsism, to have knowledge of an objective reality.
Solipsism, in short, indicates that a subject can only affirm its own existence, and no other. The surrounding world, including other people, animals, plants, objects, etc., does not have a factual existence: it is a creation of consciousness .
Due to its characteristics, solipsism makes any human activity meaningless. Since knowledge is derived from individual sensation, science has no foundation.
As you can see, solipsism is a radical position. Solipsists stated that the external world lacks an independent existence , since it is nothing more than a product of the mind.
There are many arguments put forward to discredit solipsism. The existence of suffering (if reality is an individual creation, why would someone take it upon themselves to create suffering for themselves?) and of language (why would it be necessary to have a communication system if other people had no existence outside of the mind of the ego?) are two of the most common objections.
In this context is another of the arguments used to object to the bases of solipsism: death , whether natural or caused by a third party. The first question that arises in this case is the state of the mind after one's death: does it survive or does it go with the body? And if the subject is murdered, is the attack real or imaginary?
This is related to the existence of pain , mentioned above, which would be very difficult to justify if we were the sole creators of our reality. Of course, a current cannot be extinguished with one or two objections, since for each one there is an answer. In this case, there are solipsists who explain pain through karma or a search to feel new emotions that give a certain movement to life.
Another possible response points to the absolute denial of pain, and even death, ensuring that it is people outside of solipsism who observe these phenomena because they are subject to different social and cultural impositions, but that solipsists do not believe in them.
An element that appears in several of these responses to objections is the need to "not be bored." Both pain and the creation of a language for the formulation of one's thoughts are justified in this way. Precisely, while the detractors of solipsism believe that language is used to communicate with other people, since solipsists do not admit the existence of others, they claim to use it to keep themselves entertained, imagining other beings and conversing with them.
And along this path we can continue to object to almost all aspects of life that can show the existence of a reality external to us, without leaving aside certain personal activities such as physiological needs and sleep. In short, if the other party has a position that nullifies any argument, it is not possible to reach an agreement, and perhaps both should enjoy their ideas freely.