What is methodological solipsism?

Methodological solipsism is a concept in epistemology and the philosophy of mind with at least two distinct definitions. It can refer to an epistemological starting point where the individual self and its states are used for philosophical construction, akin to Cartesian skepticism. Alternatively, it describes the internalist thesis that mental states can be individuated entirely through internal relations without reference to the external world or society.

What we know

• Methodological solipsism can be defined as the epistemological thesis that the individual self and its states serve as the sole possible or proper starting point for philosophical construction. [3]
• Solipsism, from the Latin sōlus and ipse, is broadly defined as the philosophical position that only one's own mind is certain to exist. [2]
• Jerry Fodor promoted the second definition of methodological solipsism to defend an internalist conception of the mental against problems like the Twin Earth thought experiment. [3]
• Fodor contrasted methodological solipsism with methodological individualism, the view that mental states are relational states with semantic meaning. [3]

Still open

• The sources note that methodological solipsism has at least two distinct definitions across epistemology and the philosophy of mind, but do not explore whether these definitions can be fully reconciled under a single framework.

Where to go next

• how we knowWhat was Hilary Putnam's Twin Earth thought experiment?
• whoHow did Jerry Fodor shape philosophy of mind?
• what caused itWhat is Cartesian skepticism?
• compared withWhat is the difference between internalism and externalism?
• the bigger pictureWhat is epistemology?
• an unexpected connectionHow does thought experiments about identical water on another planet challenge how we define our own thoughts?Jerry Fodor used methodological solipsism to defend internalism against the famous Twin Earth thought experiment regarding whether chemical makeup alters belief content.

Sources

• [1]solipsism (Wikidata Q181020) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Solipsism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Methodological solipsism · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Naturalism (philosophy) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0