A Quasi-Axiomatic Solipsistic System

Abstract

In developing our solipsistic system we will use a quasi-axiomatic approach. For reasons that will shortly be appreciated we cannot use a fully axiomatic method, but it will be helpful to go as far in this direction as possible. The axiomatic method gives us the considerable advantages of increased clarity, rigor, and elegance, but the main reason for using the method here is that it allows us to see more clearly what it is that we are doing while we are doing it. The most prominent use of the axiomatic method in philosophy was that of Spinoza, but Spinoza’s system lacks rigor and many of the theorems do not really follow from the axioms by methods of deduction. Further, the kind of method he had in mind was that of Euclid and we here want to use the modern axiomatic method. We will therefore begin with a brief discussion of changes in the axiomatic method which have taken place in modern times.