Saturday Word: Solipsist

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

so·lip·sist [ˈsō-ləp-ˌsi-zt]:
origin: (1874) Latin; solus= "alone" + ipse= "self"

noun (also, adjective: so·lip·sis·tic)
1. The philosophical notion that only the self can be proven to exist, ostensibly meaning that perhaps nothing else really does (or cannot truly be known) and that the world may be a unique delusion; idealism; skepticism.
→ some psychologists believe that infants are born solipsists and eventually learn to reject it as empathy and experiences with others increase.
→ "solipsism syndrome" is often brought on by long periods of isolation, a complete rejection or detachment of the outside world (see also: depersonalization disorder, hikikomori).

2. Narcissism; total obsession with the self and your own feelings or desires to the extent that no one else's matter.

Antonyms: altruistic, benevolent, magnanimous, self-sacrificing.

Comments

[trellia-chan.livejournal.com]

Funny that this is your word today. :-) A friend of mine claims to be a solipsist, and it was brought up just the other day. Though I think they're far too kind to be a true solipsist, and that's really just big talk coming from someone who is a little *too* sensitive. I don't know how anyone who honestly believes in this notion could be such a nice person.

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

Does your friend truly understand the usual definition of the word?

Because newspapers still use it to mean "navel-gazing" or self-focused by and large.

In some circles, it has become synonymous with skepticism and atheism/agnosticism, but it's more so a tool within those current re-boiling of philosophies -- as ways of thinking tend to go in circles just like fashionable clothing -- yet not quite a total synonym or substitute for those words (especially since even the philosophy has multiple uses).

I think as the word "entropy" became trendy to toss around with implications that the user wants to imply about themselves, but it may not entirely contain (or certainly goes beyond what they may assume it means); words/phrases that get regurgitated -- like "anarchy", many misuse that word all the time when what they really mean is "bedlam". However, since even the dictionary has bowed to making "literary" mean "figuratively", there is no telling what next we should expect from language.

For me, the most interesting aspect of solipsism is pondering the notion et al, but I would tend to remove myself as well from the equation of imagining how subjective the entire universe is. I did that all the time anyway without any fancy vocabulary to back it.

[trellia-chan.livejournal.com]

The definition you have listed first is the one they abide by. But I feel that anyone who *truly* believed something like that would hold others in no regard at all.

What?? I cannot tolerate that, with the "literally". How can one word MEAN its opposite?? >_< I refuse to accept that. This "literally" phenomenon has been driving me crazy... so much so, in fact, that I've been very naughty in my duties, sometimes omitting the word when I hear it used incorrectly in the news. :-P I know I shouldn't do that, but it's a major peeve. How are we to make sense of the world or communicate with each other if we go around completely changing a word's meaning? Yes, I know it's a common thing with slang and such. I'm sure the older generations were majorly peeved at us and our incorrect use of "awesome" in the 80s and beyond.. but literally and figuratively... they mean opposite things! *cries*

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

so much so, in fact, that I've been very naughty in my duties, sometimes omitting the word when I hear it used incorrectly in the news.

I love you.

[trellia-chan.livejournal.com]

X-D!!

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

It's also nice to know as a matter of a fact, because I've seen captioning (which I usually have on for various reasons despite not being hard of hearing) that I was suspicious was being "edited" and that it wasn't an oversight. Not too much that was bad though.

[trellia-chan.livejournal.com]

I'm doing KPIX right this minute. ^_^ Captioners do sometimes paraphrase for one reason or another (usually because they aren't quite fast enough to keep up. I do it too sometimes, but do my best to make it verbatim. What's ultimately important is that it just makes sense and doesn't compromise the important details of the story.