Are personal anecdotes solipsism?

Cartesian_Duelist · 2015-11-11T19:34:27+00:00

Since TRP is based on personal anecdotes , can we say the dudes who make posts like "My girlfriend dumped me , AWALT" are being solipsistic?

Yes. Yes you can.

Atlas_B_Shruggin · 2015-11-11T19:49:42+00:00

no its not solipsism, TRPs get a little terminology happy

FEMALE solipsism (the actual RP term) is the tendency of women to only view the SMP/MMP through the lens of the female experience and disregard or deny the wholly different male experience

Iamyourmarriage · 2015-11-11T19:46:09+00:00

There's a difference between saying "in my experience" and saying "this is how it works because reality and nature because this is just how it is and your an exception and YOU'RE WRONG!"

The first one is not solipsism, it gives way for meaningful discussion. The second one is.

midnightvulpine · 2015-11-11T19:37:31+00:00

I think solipsism is another of those words or terms people throw around casually, thus degrading their meaning. Simply stating an anecdote isn't solipsism. The statement that unless you can experience it personally, it doesn't exist would be an example of it.

ProtoPill · 2015-11-11T19:35:34+00:00

Personal experience is not solipsism. Solipsism is simply a philosophical idea that only the self exists or can be proven to exist. Because your own mind is personal and ineffable, only you know your thoughts, meaning that all outside experiences can only be experienced by inference.

As an example of the difference:

Personal experience: "In my personal experience, I have found ..."

Solipsism: "I am real. You are not." or "I am the center of the universe."

wub1234 · 2015-11-11T19:54:23+00:00

Anecdotes are anecdotal, not solipsistic.

woefulwank · 2015-11-11T20:05:53+00:00

Since TRP is based on personal anecdotes

I don't know about that. It's based on broad spectrum observations that are collectivised and then discussed at length by males who've witnessed said observations and theories.

GaiusScaevolus · 2015-11-11T20:25:41+00:00

Solipsism is the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist. So in your example, if you were using your grandmothers were working to extrapolate that all grandmothers were working, that could be considered solipsistic.

TRP may start with solipsism on the individual level for some, but the experience is replicated fairly closely among members/ subscribers. The sample size is a bit large to accuse of solipsism.

gavinok · 2015-11-11T20:36:53+00:00

It would be solipsism if you told your personal story, and discredited any existence of something contrary to it.

PetticoatRuled · 2015-11-11T23:13:03+00:00

TRP "sexual strategy" is largely based on the fiction known as "field reports".

But their anecdata is still not solipsistic. TRP completely misappropriates the term solipsism in the first place. To say that "women are solipsistic" demonstrates a lack of understanding of solipsism.

ReddishBlack · 2015-11-12T01:04:34+00:00

Anyone wishing to make a serious argument should be aware of the inadmissible nature of single event anecdotal evidence when trying to convince others in a scientific way of a claim.

That being said, you can use that anecdote as a starting point to guide your investigation, or in presenting a theory, just don't use it to make a definitive claim about everything.

Transmigratory · 2015-11-12T01:31:57+00:00

Solipsism means you're self absorbed. Probably they thought that you value your anecdotes way too much and assume that you believe that just because you believe in something (based on your limited overview on things) you take it as the gospel on various things.

MorpheusGodOfDreams · 2015-11-12T03:05:44+00:00

a better word than solipsism (which is a philosophical concept) would be egocentrism.

kick6 · 2015-11-12T22:04:02+00:00

You were accused of solipsism because your statement amounted to "this is what happened to me, therefore, this is."

That's somewhat different than an entire community of men all corroborating the same thing happening to them ergo, "hey, you know what happened to you? It happened to me too. It seems it happened to another 100 dudes too. Therefore, it is."

Title	Are personal anecdotes solipsism?
Author	ThatGreekLady
Upvotes	5
Comments	46
Date	November 11, 2015 7:28 PM UTC (10 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/PurplePillDebate
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/PurplePillDebate/comments/3sfwcv/are_personal_anecdotes_solipsism/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/PurplePillDebate/are-personal-anecdotes-solipsism.278504 https://theredarchive.com/post/278504

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