solipsist
sassy asked, in a comment on my last post “Are you in fact a solipsist?”
i don’t have an answer for that. i do have this in my archives, which explains the reason for the name of my blog. Other than that, i’m not terribly sure what i am. Except, perhaps, simply elise.
I was an unrepentant solipsist as a child. Construction of the world (for my benefit) was achieved through helper robots who were always one step ahead of me. I wanted to catch those robots because even though the world was for my benefit, it wasn’t to my liking.
I didn’t know the meaning of solipsist until this little discussion. I thought the solip part of your name came from the three dots which I’ve discovered are ellipsis not solipsis.
Children are often developmental solipsists … they simply must be. Eventually, most of us move beyond such a concept of self.
i’m distant by nature … far, far more distant than i seem on this blog. Here, my sense of humor is able to slip through the cracks in my words, but in person, i tend to be a bit Wednesday Addams. i’m a lot like the men to whom i am attracted, actually, without the bloodlust.
i’m not psychologist. i don’t really know what i am. But G was a smart man. i have no reason to not believe him.
elise
I think writing is creating a world.
I have to laugh at your last sentence, “i have no reason to not believe him.” It’s not exactly the same as i have reason to believe him, in spite of what the nuns who taught me grammer would have me believe. I tell my students (I’m a stats teacher) that you don’t say that you accept the null hypothesis, you say that you don’t see any reason to reject it. ha ha.
sassy~
Now i have yet another reason to like you. You get me.
elise
Oh, my lord no! Not stats. Not stats! I’m on leave from academia for a reason!
I reject the null hypothesis regularly, by the way. I’m cranky like that.
elise — in ‘real life’ I’m incredibly quiet and rarely share any of my deep, dark, high-strung emotional meanderings. Ah, the beauty of blogging ….
Perhaps the reference to being a solipist was merely a more positive or intellectualized way of saying a person is not altruistic. In my opinion, we’re conditioned to react negatively to the idea of being selfish, but admitting selfishness is far more honest than claiming altruism. Contrary to every altruistic claim, there is always a payoff in some form to such sham ‘giving,’ even if its only self satisfaction. Altruism is merely masturbation under an alias.
Beth ~
i seldom reject anything entirely. i figure i might need to manipulate it to my advantage at some point. Especially when one regularly deals with sadists.
As to the “real life” me … i’m seldom described as quiet, but people often say they don’t really know me. And i prefer it that way.
Kaz ~
Your viewpoints fascinate me. “Altruism is merely masturbation under an alias.” Beautiful. Oddly, i reacted far better to being thought selfish after comparing mere selfishness to solipsism. And now, as you’ve all seen, i’ve chosen to manipulate the theory in my own way.
i blame it on creativity.
elise
It’s fun to fascinate on any level, at while I admit to having a viewpoint on almost everything, I must also admit to being considered an odd duck by most. As to blaming creativity - yes, I can relate to that. Isn’t it wonderful that creativity has such broad shoulders?
Kaz~
Broad and occasionally cruel … yes, wonderful. Heh.
elise
“Masturbation Under an Alias” would be a great name for a band. Or title for a book.
Kev ~
i’m leaning more toward band. And i’m mad at you.
elise
Mad? At moi? Porque?
Cute, pouting mad or “oh shit, she’s throwing things” mad?
“…simply elise”
As if there were anything simple about elise?
Kev ~
Now how can i possibly gracefully answer that question? If i say “cute, pouting mad,” then i become sort of a passive aggressive little manipulator. And if i’m throwing things … well, actually that could turn out fun. ~ pondering ~
Yeah. Nothing’s simple, dammit.
elise