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  1. solipsism love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Philosophy The theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified.
  2. n. Philosophy The theory or view that the self is the only reality.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. The belief or proposition that the person entertaining it alone exists, and that other people exist only as ideas in his mind. The identification of one's self with the Absolute is not generally intended, but the denial of there being really anybody else. The doctrine appears to be nothing more than a man of straw set up by metaphysicians in their reasonings.

Wiktionary

  1. n. philosophy The theory that the self is all that exists or that can be proven to exist.
  2. n. Self-absorption, an unawareness of the views or needs of others.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Ethics) Egotism.
  2. n. (Metaph.) Egoism.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. (philosophy) the philosophical theory that the self is all that you know to exist

Etymologies

  1. From Latin solus ("alone") + ipse ("self") + -ism. (Wiktionary)
  2. Latin sōlus, alone; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots + Latin ipse, self + -ism. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “But that kind of childish solipsism is part of what makes America so gosh-darn unique!”

    Matthew Yglesias » Obama’s Car Invention Myth

  • “It's like insisting that solipsism is a valid philosophy.”

    Bukiet on Brooklyn Books

  • “No, solipsism is only a valid philosophy if you hold to some implicit individualism, some sort of philosophical anarchism.”

    Bukiet on Brooklyn Books

  • “I liked Cowl insofar I like 2 way time travel SF (my least favorite subgenre because it falls so easily in solipsism - boom, the hero moved through time and a new universe appeared/dissapeared), but N. Asher has so many better books, Cowl is the weakest by far.”

    Pick JP's Bookshelf!

  • “A beautiful counterpoint to his fantastic solipsism is the appalling verbosity of his manservant, Mash Qasem.”

    The Persian Version

  • “The definition of solipsism that you cite brings the red herring of a notion of “the self”; more in harmony with the traditional use of that word in the Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy ’s definition.”

    Simon & Schuster: No Uncertain Terms

  • “Andrew's only crime is solipsism, which is an unfortunate characteristic of nearly all of the characters in Private Life, including the "heroine" Margaret Mayfield, who is really no heroine at all.”

    The Huffington Post: Book Review Roundup

  • “I once wrote a story about media-induced-solipsism, which is defined as the philosophical position that if the cameras stop pointing at you, you cease to exist.”

    This is the most disgusting thing I've seen all week

  • “Therefore the most rational way to live with regard to the idea of solipsism, against which no ironclad empirical argument can be made, is nominal agnosticism toward the existence of all things outside the mind but practical acceptance of their reality as well as of the ability of other conscious beings to experience qualia.”

    Archive 2007-05-01

  • “This position is called solipsism, and I say that the fact of self-consciousness forces us all to be solipsists at heart and from birth.”

    Spock Must Die

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synonyms (2)

Words with the same meaning

  1. egotism
  1. egoism

hypernyms (2)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. philosophical doctrine
  1. philosophical theory

same context (19)

Words that are found in similar contexts

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  2. uremic
  3. dyscontrol
  1. lymphoproliferative
  2. neurovascular
  3. malperfusion
  1. posttraumatic
  2. locked-in
  3. foundation
  1. world-weariness
  2. immunodeficiency
  3. premenstrual
  1. hypoventilation
  2. aids-related
  3. back-seat
  1. anticholinergic
  2. caged
  3. fight-or-flight
  1. hyperventilation

reverse dictionary (1)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. solipsistic

tags (11)

Free-form, user-generated categorization

  1. philosophy
  2. antiquated
  1. Sarah_Palin
  2. ontology
  1. contact
  2. -ism
  1. cvcvccvcc
  2. sm
  1. ps
  2. You probably think this song is about you
  1. SATWOTD

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Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘solipsism’.

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Comments

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  • Casey "I have taken to foraging alone after nightfall when the city quiets and becomes introspective. I walk as an intruder on its solipsistic dream. I came by darkness, I live by darkness. The savage brightness of the desert is like some legend I heard a long time ago. My exsistence grows nocturnal. My beliefs change. From Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. Sep 22, 2011

  • ruzuzu You probably think this song is about you. Jan 31, 2010

  • catspringer Solipsism? Eh. It's all in your head. Oct 10, 2009

  • bilby March-flies and garrulous pompadours! Pay no heed to the evil sionnachery of the herebelow! For he is but a ruthless manipulaterz manipulationism manipulletsoup manipulitzerpizzle exploiter of confectionery incontinence among glug-factory beasties destined for the (recycling symbol) eurobin! Arise and be liberated! The next bizarre videoramamanana shall be yours! Mar 17, 2009

  • sionnach donuts frump kumquats withal desiderata incommunicado Mar 17, 2009

  • bilby Q: Why is the surrealist unhappy?
    A: Because purple grapefruit mackintosh. Mar 17, 2009

  • nuxiy Question: Why is the solipsist unhappy?
    Answer: Because no one will accept his arguments as valid. Mar 17, 2009

  • rolig "Solipsism is perhaps the greatest potential failing of the professional historian, and in this instance there are two essays . . . which exhibit all the coherence of a madman in a telephone box, scoring rhetorical points off a listener who long ago had the sense to replace the handset."
    – Nicholas Vincent, "Do you know?" (Review of Huw Pryce and John Watts, eds., Power and Identity in the Middle Ages, OUP), TLS (Feb. 15, 2008). Apr 5, 2008

  • jennarenn I do have a good sense of humor, don't I? Aug 11, 2007

  • uselessness Haha, I love spooking myself. Aug 10, 2007

  • reesetee *turns quickly* What was that? Aug 10, 2007

  • oroboros "(imaginary comment)" :oP Aug 10, 2007

  • reesetee Ah yes, I had imaginary friends when I was a child--and they weren't even human. :-)

    Jennarenn, I have that cookie recipe, so I'll just bring it along myself. You're sure to get a thank you note from Canada when I return. And one from Granny Smith, no doubt. ;-> Aug 10, 2007

  • jennarenn Aren't imaginary friends great? I always wanted one as a child.

    R, you simply must say hi to Canada for me, and tell them that I'll bring the cookie recipie next time I'm up that way. ;)
    Aug 10, 2007

  • slumry Oh, Reesetee, you mean I really do have voices in my head, too? In that case, I also wonder why I can't get them all to agree with each other.

    I think I will opt to simply enjoy the illusion. Aug 9, 2007

  • reesetee Eh, I might. ;-) Aug 9, 2007

  • slumry It was a memorable conversation, U.

    And R--I feel sure you will fill your suitcase with plenty of Canadianisms! Aug 9, 2007

  • reesetee And here *I* thought you'd already seen Granny Smith and was wondering why you were off on another vacation so soon. :-)

    Oh, and slumry? Dear S is right--we are your imaginary friends! Aug 9, 2007

  • uselessness All I can say is, I'm surprised and impressed that you remembered and linked next week's trip with the Granny Smith trip I mentioned a while back. I'm terrible at making connections like that. Or rather, the conscious part of me is... but apparently the subconscious part of me excels at it. ;-) Aug 9, 2007

  • slumry *Green with envy* Aug 9, 2007

  • reesetee Oh...Canada! ;-> Specifically, the Atlantic provinces. Aug 9, 2007

  • slumry Okay, I am getting separation anxiety now. I will miss you two voices in my head next week. (Dear S calls all of you my imaginary friends). U, give your regards to Granny Smith. R, do you to care to give us any hint of your vacation plans? Aug 9, 2007

  • reesetee Really? Mine sing, in a chorus--sort of in a strophe/antistrophe way. Aug 9, 2007

  • uselessness Nah, the voices stay. Some just become louder while others quiet down. At least I can only hear a few at a time! Aug 9, 2007

  • reesetee Well, if you're going away, maybe the voices will stay put and leave you alone for a while.

    Or me. I can't remember anymore. Aug 9, 2007

  • uselessness Okay, don't go away. Just stop disagreeing with the other 6.whatever billion voices. It's the discord that makes it frustrating! Aug 9, 2007

  • slumry Are you sure? It may be very lonely! Aug 9, 2007

  • uselessness When the voices in my head go away, I will finally have peace. ;-) Aug 9, 2007

  • slumry Well, he should care--if you are a part of him, he would be diminished by your absence. Says Judge Slumry. So there. Aug 9, 2007

  • reesetee Neither do I. And that's what counts.

    If we don't be careful, we'll disappear into myself, and then where will I be? Not that you care. Aug 9, 2007

  • uselessness Of course you're not, because I don't want you to. Aug 9, 2007

  • reesetee I'm not even going to ask. Aug 9, 2007

  • uselessness You can't think about it right now because I have a one-track mind, and my attention is elsewhere. Sorry. Aug 9, 2007

  • reesetee I can't think about this right now. And anyway, it doesn't exist. Only I do. Aug 9, 2007

  • uselessness A cookie is just a cookie, but a Newton is the illusion of fruit and cake that my brain tells me is real!

    Nice joke, by the way. I have special appreciation for it, seeing as how it was really me who made it up, and I am always funny. Aug 9, 2007

  • oroboros Did you mean far-removed fig newton of your imagination? Aug 9, 2007

  • uselessness How creative is this far-removed figment of my imagination! I wish I had such command of my conscious mind! Jan 25, 2007

  • oroboros "I" made up this word. Jan 23, 2007

  • blame It's alright that you own it, as you are simply an aspect of me. Dec 1, 2006

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‘solipsism’ has been looked up 10889 times, loved by 48 people, added to 233 lists, commented on 39 times, and has a Scrabble score of 13.