I mean... Perhaps the notion of reality being "'created' collectively in the minds of many" seems pointless or meaningless...

But I can't see the contradiction.

Maybe I hit the "Post button" a bit too hastily when I was speaking about solopsism. The idea I meant to express is, as I said before, surely not original. It basicaly says that the human mind is the "source of reality" and not the physical universe.

However, what I'm asserting is that rather than the individual human "creating reality" in thier individual mind... reality is sort of "averaged" between the minds of many humans.

It's as if the human mind could have a say-so in the structure of "reality"... however in the presence of many minds... reality is only that which can be logical and agreed upon...(??)

For example Luis, in a dream, you can step out the front door of your own home and find yourself in somebody else's house! Not only that... but you can also fly (defy the laws of gravity and aerodynamic principles), you can "die" and "come back", you can witness events that happen to yourself from a third party perspective (out of body witness)... and many such "un-real" contradictions.

But nevertheless, you DO experience it (and you also wake up to talk about it). It seems as though in your own dreams, you "own reality" all to yourself. So as you get all the "say-so" as to what is or isn't "real"... your dreams are your own "creation of reality" (...no physical universe required).

However when you wake up... you no longer own 100% of the stock. There are now 6 billion other "share holders". You no longer get to make all the decisions as to what is or isn't "real". We all witness and experience a "collective reality" or "logical dream of many". Hence the term "collective solopsism".

You "own" your own dreams, but you don't get to own everybody else's; reality is in effect... a consensus among many consciousness's.

• Not 'out of the question,' just impossible to comprehend - luis_hamburgh - November 22, 2001 - 20:28 UTC
  • You are both overlooking a likely possibility - pmartin - November 22, 2001 - 22:34 UTC
    • Enchanting, but nonfalsifiable - luis_hamburgh - November 23, 2001 - 09:06 UTC
      • Easy for me - pmartin - November 23, 2001 - 20:15 UTC
        • Hear! Hear! - luis_hamburgh - November 23, 2001 - 21:32 UTC
          • See, See! - pmartin - November 23, 2001 - 22:59 UTC
            • Focus - luis_hamburgh - November 24, 2001 - 04:50 UTC
              • Duh - pmartin - November 24, 2001 - 06:46 UTC
                • Popular music - luis_hamburgh - November 24, 2001 - 17:40 UTC
                  • Sorry, let me try again. - pmartin - November 24, 2001 - 19:42 UTC
                    • (Sic) to my stomach - luis_hamburgh - November 25, 2001 - 20:14 UTC
                      • Oh, and I DO know how to spell frankly too! :P - luis_hamburgh - November 25, 2001 - 20:16 UTC
                      • "wright"? - luis_hamburgh - November 25, 2001 - 20:18 UTC
                      • I think you are doing a good job - pmartin - November 25, 2001 - 20:31 UTC