Solipsism. Ring any bells? Probably not. Solipsism is a concept which was brought to my attention recently which, while it makes my brain ache, I cannot stop thinking about.

 Solipsism is a philosophical idea which proposes that one's own mind is all that exists and that the rest of the universe; including people, food and everything else are simply projections of our own psyches. For example, if you are a solipsist, then this column (which hopefully a few people are reading) is a falsification of your own mind. Indeed the very computer you are staring at also does not exist, and nor does the room in which you sit! In fact, and this is where the real mind-bending matter come into play, if nothing exists but your own mind then you just invented Solipsism yourself.  Congratulations.

Over the course of my recent musings (lesson time), I spent a great deal of time considering one scenario: Would the last person left alive be a solipsist? I came to the conclusion that this would not necessarily be the case. This is because, for the solipsist, it is not merely the case that they believe that their own thoughts, experiences, and emotions are , the only ones that can exist. The solipsist can assign no meaning to the belief that there could be thoughts, experiences, and emotions other than their own;

that events may occur or objects or people exist independently of the solipsist's own experiences. In short; Solipsism is not the belief that you are the only one left, but rather that no one else ever existed. Developmental psychologists commonly believe that infants are solipsist and that eventually children infer that others have experiences much like theirs and reject solipsism.

However, before you reconsider your entire life view, bear in mind that the concept has never really become more than simply that; a concept. In the history of philosophy, solipsism has served only as a skeptical hypothesis. Nonetheless, the concept is an interesting one. Though Solipsism is only a concept, there is simply no way to prove, or disprove its truth. Who knows, perhaps I am writing this article for no one but projections of my own mind to read? I just hope the projections enjoy it.