CF Dictionary A reference for Critical Fallibilism

CF Dictionary · Critical Rationalism Terms

Solipsism (CR critique)

The view that only one's own mind exists. CR shows that solipsism is self-refuting — you can't explain your own knowledge that way.

Solipsism is the view that only one's own mind exists — that other minds and external reality are illusions. CR critiques this as self-refuting.

CR's argument

  • Your own knowledge requires evolution. Your ideas evolved through error correction against a real world.
  • Other minds are part of how you got your ideas. You didn't invent language, math, or science alone.
  • Solipsism can't explain its own existence. If only your mind exists, where did your ideas come from?

Connection to three-worlds

CR's three-worlds ontology dissolves the solipsism question:

  • World 1 is real independent of your mind. Your senses are calibrated by evolution against it.
  • World 3 is real independent of your mind. Numbers and theories exist whether or not you think about them.
  • Your mind is in World 2. It's one of many objects in World 1.

CF's adoption

CF, with CR, treats solipsism as a non-starter:

  • It's self-refuting. It can't explain its own knowledge.
  • It's an obstacle to Paths Forward. You can't meaningfully criticise or be criticised if other minds are illusions.
  • It's not falsifiable in any useful sense. (unfalsifiable.)

"Solipsism criticism" is one of CF's enumerated CR-specific concepts. — criticalfallibilism.com