Nothing Exists But You | The Philosophy of Solipsism

Solipsism denies that the human mind has any valid reason for believing that anything outside itself exists, which is a pretty radical standpoint to take. But who knows: could it be that despite the vastness of the universe (or so it seems), only you exist? This video explores the philosophy of solipsism, using ideas from George Berkeley, Descartes, Zhuangzi, Kant, and The Matrix.

Video: Nothing Exists But You | The Philosophy of Solipsism

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#solipsism #taoism #thematrix

00:00 - Intro
02:25 - The world around us
05:10 - To be is to be perceived
07:00 - Only you exist
08:59 - The problem of other minds

[yohaizilber]

"The meaning of life is just to be alive. it so plain and so obvious and so simple, and yet everybody rushes around in great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves"- Alan Watts

[jjhanson]

This philosophy has always interested me, especially since I always thought about solipsist ideas before I even knew they were a thing

[JayJay-kimi]

Since I was a child I've believed this to be the case. I didn't know other people thought the same thing, and I didn't know there was a whole philosophy around it. Fascinating, thank you.

[Peter.Lecomte]

As a child, i had this fear that i was the only real human and the subject of a vast experiment. This fear followed me to an extent through adolescence and just as i was getting past it, out came the truman show and then the matrix. I don’t fear it as much now as i think it is a shadow or reflection of what we are here to experience.

[Akaashi__]

As someone who follows Zhuangzi's teachings, it was the Butterfly Dream that saved me from depression, from this day forth, I became a taoist. I don't actually knows if what I am seeing is real, but I know that my mind is real, and even though some of the memories that I had might be fake. I still enjoyed every second of my life, because in the end, does not matter. Thank you for the video, Einzelgänger, you and your channel have a place in my heart. ★ 〜

[keithanderson]

This is taking the “I’m the main character” to the next level

[ketchup]

I like the fact that nobody REALLY knows anything, including me.
Keeps life fresh and interesting.

[andrewshepherd-swji]

Even before I knew Solipsism was a thing when I was growing up I always thought about what if i’m the only person that’s real and everything around me isn’t what it seems. I have to be honest it always interested me as a kid but when you grow older and start to understand it more it’s actually really terrifying and very dark. I think the scariest part about it is that we’ll never know and not anybody in the world can prove or disprove it to be true. It’s an absolute mind mess.

[samratchattopadhyay]

Everything that we have experienced in this life has happened within us.

[igorschannel]

I have always wondered if this is all a test and I'm actually locked somewhere else with something in my head making this dream seem so freaking real.

[ellephant]

This just makes me value connection with others even more. Knowing that I am isolated in my experience, what a gift it is to have people that have helped me, by myself I would be so lost and would not be even close to who I am today

[GamersXnostalgia]

When I was a kid I used to think "can others see through their eyes the same way I can see through mine?". Everyone in the world right now is living their own life as Im living through mine right now, and I used to just sit there thinking for a long time wondering why I was who I was and why I was there. It used to freak me out, and I used to think people weren't real for awhile. Well, not NOT real, just felt like I was in a simulation. It gradually stopped bugging me over time, but every now and then I stop to think about this.

[jongalt]

I smoked a joint with a buddy one time, and as he was driving me home, I started tripping on this exact concept before I even knew about solipism, and it made me quite uncomfortable in that moment.. and I still ponder it every now and then to this day. Interesting video.

[holla_j]

Honestly, I have often wondered and thought along these lines. The ONLY "reality" we can be sure of existing is our own. But when I experience pain, this totally shifts my perspective. Pain is very real and I will go to anyone who has the remedy to help or remove the pain. I mean it still could all be just a part of my experience. I suffered and still do at times from "Existential angst." In that sense, I understand that particular pain and the school of thought behind it. I have always been a very deep thinker. Im not sure if one thing has anything to do with the other (they probably do), but I have at times suffered from severe depression, despair and other related issues. Spending too much time in your own head is not good. Moments are fleeting at best and we can never get them back. Living in the present moment is a challenge for people like me. Like the saying goes and is still VERY TRUE today "ignorance is bliss."

[MrHeleenify]

You explained this concept really well in an understandable way! It has become quite a hot topic recently, so your video is a really nice addition.

[ash]

Whether everything outside our mind really does exist or are merely just illusions, distortions, dreams, fantasies, simulations, etc. it's still wise to remember that those things are not within our control. So therefore our feelings, behaviors & actions still matter, regardless of what the so-called reality might be.
“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” - Marcus Aurelius

[PlayInC_]

This vdo absolutely blow my mind, and this might be the reason why each one should strongly full of self responsibly in singularity cause we are existing alone in our perception.🤔

[SolusAgomor]

This is really weird. When I was around 10, I sort of developed this perceived fantasy that somehow, everything around me was here to serve me, serve my existence. Not in the sense of doing my bidding, but for me to exist. I eventually lost this feeling around going to high school. Maybe 10 might be way to young, but I remember having this fantasized perception, very young and lasting for many years. Usually I only thought about this when I was in bed, at night. What makes this even more weird, is that I talked about this in therapy many years ago, I love the The Matrix, I’m one of those people who has high suspicion that we live in a simulated world and now I’m connecting the dots, from a lot of years in past, to a more recent past and having this strong uneasy feeling, right now in the present, because I watched this video. It’s like, from time to time, I have the perception that I’m dreaming for a couple of seconds, which everything seems odd and strange, confusing me. This video, while not not causing sensorial weirdness, gives a sense of dreadfulness. So strange!

[marinlucic]

In my 20's, there was a massive coping mechanism failure that manifested as Solipsism within me. This adaptation nearly drove me insane, along with the fact that, that was a way the environment and people were treated. It is absolutely true that an entity with conciousness is the only thing one can be sure of in this plane of existence.
It really is interesting how such ideas are formulated in ones mind.

[AS-rkvb]

We are all alone BUT we are able to send communications (our shared perceptions) beyond the barriers of our consciousness. That doesn’t mean we will ever be truly understood or understand an other, it just means that people can experience our own unique ‘interpretation of our interpretation’ of reality. Almost like listening to somebody sing a karaoke song, it’s not the original artist singing but an version of it that we recognize.