Actually what you are asking for is for someone to disprove solipsism.

As far as I'm concerned it's impossible to disprove solipsism.

In fact, the truest form of solipsism is the idea that only the single person exists and all the rest of reality is in his or her imagination.

You bring into the idea that some program actually exists. Perhaps you're considering the possiblity that other beings do indeed exist and have pulled a huge joke on you (whatever you are) to provide for you a false reality.

Again, that can't be disproven. But the first question that would come to my mind would be, "Why would anyone even want to do such a thing? What would be their motivation?"

I think there are a lot of things that cannot be disproven. But does that make them reasonable?

I've taken the concept of solipism very seriously (as I take every possibility). I agree that I cannot disprove it, but at the same time I simply feel that it isn't as likely as other scenarios.

I confess that I'm torn between pure atheism and some mystical concept. I would consider your proposal of being fooled by some comptuer program or holodeck matrix to be mystical.

That would either require that some other beings are doing this to me, or that I have somehow succeeded in fooling myself. The latter is certainly not an impossibility. Pure solipism makes as much sense as anything else really.

My question to you would be why are you thinking along the lines of solipism (or being fooled by some other beings).

Is there some reason you have to feel that this is the way things are? Or are you just considering it simply because it's an obvious possiblity?

If I knew of a way that I could prove it to you, I'd be able to prove it to myself as well.

I just accept that it's less likely than other possiblities.

When all is said and done I confess to being totally agnostic (that is meant in both a religious as well as a philosophical sense).

I confess that I just don't know.

I do try to rule out things that appear to be to be truly absurd. Like pictures of jealous egotistical gods created by mythologists who make complete azzes out of themselves by claiming that these gods somehow represent all-wise beings.

There are just something things that aren't wise by my understanding of the meaning of that concept.

But with respect to sopslism, it can't be ruled out for being unwise, because it never claimed to be wise in the first place.

It just claims to be what it is. No justification necessary.

Kind of like atheism. If the universe is some sort of freak accident, then it doens't need to be justified. It just is what it is.

Thank you Abracadabra

I'm going to confess my ignorance and say that I've never even heard of the word Solipsism before. I'm checking it out on wikipedia now and it seems it is exactly what I'm on about. I know wikipedia isn't 100% trustworthy; if you know of a more reliable source of info on this subject I'd be glad to hear about it.

Thanks Dan You never fail to make me chuckle

It was my older brother who started me thinking about these things when I was about 15. He'd often ask me to prove to him that I was real and I never could. This always stuck with me.

Then when I was in college I met up with some friends who liked to discuss this and similar themes.

At the risk of sounding crazy, I'll say this: during the time when we were talking about this a lot there were two films that came out that heavily involved the subject - Dark City and The Matrix. It seemed to me at the time that these films were made purely for me, like they were clues sent by a force opposing that which controlled everything. I even thought that my friends were hints too - cheats, like in a computer game.

Sh!t, this does sound nuts, I can't explain it well - it makes perfect sense in my head, but when I try to explain it to someone else it always comes off as sounding totally crazy.

I almost deleted this, but f*ck it, I'm gonna hit post reply.

I know Santa exist because I can talk to him here: http://www.santabot.com/
He even gets mad at me when I insult him.

If I say that I exist I am lying.

Sure everything is an illusion created by . . . . Someone who exists.

Nicely stated! Brevity is the soul of wit.

To wit: "This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."

DeCartes brought it up a while ago.

Why?

Anyway, come up to my place and I will prove it.

Its not that Wikipedia is unreliable but anyone can add to it so its about as trustworthy as when you post something here and a billion people answer with their own opinions, knowledge and experience on a particular topic. Unless you know for certain that someone answering here is a verifiable expert on a particular subject matter, then I would always do some double checking.

Actually Wikipedia is very accurate for what it is. The poeple at Wikipedia are on the look out for bs, and they check up on topics, research to make sure its accurate and if its not it does not last long.

Go try for yourself add some incorrect stuff . . . see what happens.

Please let me know how long it takes to get corrected. Usually its a few hours to a day.

This is one of those questions that can lead to another - "Is anything real, including me," which, as you say, was explored in "The Matrix." As I understand it, Hindu thought would answer "No."

A guy named Alan Turing spent a lot of time considering your question relative to artificial intelligence before the advent of the computer. I've always found the implications of his work fascinating, although the mathematics escape me.

I figured they had some kind of system of checks and balances. Where it might get to be difficult is if a given topic has numerous differences of opinions etc...I guess as long as they identify each one, it can stay. Like an example would be Sasquatch or Bigfoot. Im sure that is listed on Wikipedia but there must be all kinds of different takes on something like that.

Totally. To me its a great place to start, then link around and get other references. Once you have the terminology of a topic in hand then it becomes easy to find better sources to really gain a good fundamental understanding.

I have never found wiki to be Wrong just lacking. Now I have had others (professionals in science) tell me about corrections they have submitted, but it isn't as often as one might think.

Don't we all make our own reality?

Prove to me that I don't exist.

...i would answer your question..but i'm not sure you're real so...why bother...but then again..thats your answer...or is it...

I don't think so, there is one reality, but we each have our own perception. I don't think that our perceptions are true necessarily.

Exactly. Why waste my time with all you figments of my imagination?

(Joking of course.)

In answer to your quesion: No I'm not real.

But I do think I exist.