Why Solipsism Matters

by Sami Pihlström, Constantine Sandis (Editor), Evgenia Mylonaki (Editor)

Overview

Solipsism is one of the philosophical thesis or ideas that has generally been regarded as highly implausible, or even crazy. The view that the world is “my world” in the sense that nothing exists independently of my mind, thought, and/or experience is, understandably, frowned up as a genuine philosophical position. For this reason, solipsism might be regarded as an example of a philosophical position that does not “matter” at all. It does not seem to play any role in our serious attempts to understand the world and ourselves. However, by arguing that solipsism does matter, after all, Why Solipsism Matters more generally demonstrates that philosophy, even when dealing with highly counterintuitive and “crazy” ideas, may matter in surprising, unexpected ways. It will be shown that the challenge of solipsism should make us rethink fundamental assumptions concerning subjectivity, objectivity, realism vs. idealism, relativism, as well as key topics such as ethical responsibility – that is, our ethical relations to other human beings – and death and mortality.

Why Solipsism Matters is not only an historical review of the origins and development of the concept of solipsism and a exploration of some of its key philosophers (Kant and Wittgenstein to name but a few) but it develops an entirely new account of the idea. One which takes seriously the global, socially networked world in which we live in which the very real ramifications of solipsism - including narcissism - can be felt.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350126398
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/28/2020
Series:	Why Philosophy Matters
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.66(w) x 8.54(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

Sami Pihlström is Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the University of Helsinki, Finland. His recent books include Why Solipsism Matters (2020), Pragmatist Truth in the Post-Truth Age (2021), Toward a Pragmatist Philosophy of the Humanities (2022), Humanism, Antitheodicism, and the Critique of Meaning in Pragmatist Philosophy of Religion (2023), and the edited volume, The Bloomsbury Handbook of Pragmatism (2024).

Constantine Sandis is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, UK, Founding Director of Lex Academic, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Evgenia Mylonaki is Assistant Professor of Practical Philosophy at the Philosophy Department of the University of Patras, Greece.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

1 Introduction 1

Why Solipsism? 2

Some Varieties of Solipsism 6

The Structure of the Book 15

2 Metaphysical and Skeptical Solipsism 19

Historical Preliminaries and Contemporary Issues 20

Classical Metaphysical and Epistemological Solipsism-the Cartesian Legacy 23

Methodological Solipsism 39

3 Transcendental Solipsism 47

Kantian Idealism 48

Phenomenology and the Problem of Intersubjectivity 55

Transcendental Solipsism in Wittgenstein 64

4 Leaving Solipsism Behind: Pragmatist Considerations 83

Arguing against Solipsism 83

Giving up Solipsism 92

A Realistic Credo? 103

5 The Relevance of Solipsism 111

Facing Otherness 112

Solipsism and Death 129

The Suffering Other 145

6 Concluding Remarks 151

A Summary of the Argument 152

Solipsism and the Limits of Philosophical Argumentation 156

Notes 163

References 208

Index 229

Editorial Reviews

Solipsism, the idea that my self is the only thing that exists while everything else is a product of my mind, belongs among the most radical and most curious philosophical positions. Nonetheless, Sami Pihlström lucidly and convincingly argues that solipsism is in fact extraordinarily relevant to our ethical choices. His superb book compels us to seriously rethink fundamental existential issues.” —Leszek Koczanowicz, Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, SWPS University, Poland

“Why Solipsism Matters is an intellectual joy/ Sami Pihlström demonstrates that Solipsism is no mere philosophical curiosity but is so intertwined with modern and contemporary modes of philosophy that direct refutation is not possible. His application of Wittgensteinean insights is breathtaking. The book challenges our common sense beliefs about self and reality and leads us to a self-critical vantage.” —Kirill O. Thompson, Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures, National Taiwan University, Taiwan

From the Publisher