Produktdetaljer
Om bidragsyterne
Sami Pihlström is Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the University of Helsinki, Finland. His previous publications include Pragmatic Pluralism and the Problem of God (2013) and Taking Evil Seriously (2014). He is a board member of the Central European Pragmatist Forum and the Nordic Pragmatism Network.Solipsism, the idea that my self is the only thing that exists while everything else is a product of my mind, belongs among the most radical and most curious philosophical positions. Nonetheless, Sami Pihlström lucidly and convincingly argues that solipsism is in fact extraordinarily relevant to our ethical choices. His superb book compels us to seriously rethink fundamental existential issues.
Leszek Koczanowicz, Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, SWPS University, Poland
<i>Why Solipsism Matters</i> is an intellectual joy/ Sami Pihlström demonstrates that Solipsism is no mere philosophical curiosity but is so intertwined with modern and contemporary modes of philosophy that direct refutation is not possible. His application of Wittgensteinean insights is breathtaking. The book challenges our common sense beliefs about self and reality and leads us to a self-critical vantage.
Kirill O. Thompson, Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Solipsism is one of the philosophical thesis or ideas that has generally been regarded as highly implausible, or even crazy. The view that the world is “my world” in the sense that nothing exists independently of my mind, thought, and/or experience is, understandably, frowned up as a genuine philosophical position. For this reason, solipsism might be regarded as an example of a philosophical position that does not “matter” at all. It does not seem to play any role in our serious attempts to understand the world and ourselves. However, by arguing that solipsism does matter, after all, Why Solipsism Matters more generally demonstrates that philosophy, even when dealing with highly counterintuitive and “crazy” ideas, may matter in surprising, unexpected ways. It will be shown that the challenge of solipsism should make us rethink fundamental assumptions concerning subjectivity, objectivity, realism vs. idealism, relativism, as well as key topics such as ethical responsibility – that is, our ethical relations to other human beings – and death and mortality.
Why Solipsism Matters is not only an historical review of the origins and development of the concept of solipsism and a exploration of some of its key philosophers (Kant and Wittgenstein to name but a few) but it develops an entirely new account of the idea. One which takes seriously the global, socially networked world in which we live in which the very real ramifications of solipsism - including narcissism - can be felt.
prelims
1. Introduction
1.1. Why Solipsism?
1.2. Some Varieties of Solipsism
2. Metaphysical and Skeptical Solipsism
2.1. Historical Preliminaries and Contemporary Issues
2.2. Classical Metaphysical and Epistemological Solipsism: The Cartesian Legacy
2.3. Methodological Solipsism
3. Transcendental Solipsism
3.1. Kantian Idealism: The Rise of the Transcendental Ego
3.2. Phenomenology and Intersubjectivity
3.3. Transcendental Solipsism in Wittgenstein
4. Refuting Solipsism
4.1. Arguing against Solipsism
4.2. Solipsism vs. Realism
5. The Relevance of Solipsism
5.1. Facing Otherness
5.2. Solipsism and Death
bibliography
index
Why Philosophy Matters is an exciting series of short and accessible books showcasing the importance of philosophical thought to contemporary concerns that affect both our everyday lives and the future of humanity. From clinical delusions to the climate breakdown, medieval philosophy to postmodernism, each book tackles a particular area of interest and discourse from a distinctively philosophical point of view, thereby expanding the limits of what is thinkable and doable.
In contrast to textbooks and introductions that aim to provide a neutral overview of a particular field of enquiry, Why Philosophy Matters authors offer unabashedly partisan, passionate, and provocative defences of how to engage with the world and think about what matters. Their books cover a wide range of topics: socio-political issues, human and non-human life, new technological and cultural realities, current infrastructures, and novel approaches to art, religion, psychology, and ethics. Collectively, the volumes in this series provide the reader with a philosophical ingress into twenty-first century thought, as well as a vital expansion of philosophy itself.