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Full Idea
Only through communication and conversation between man and man do ideas arise; not alone, but only with others, does one reach notions and reason in general.
Gist of Idea
Ideas arise through communication, and reason is reached through community
Source
Ludwig Feuerbach (Principles of Philosophy of the Future [1843], §41)
Book Ref
Feuerbach,Ludwig: 'Principles of the Philosophy of the Future', ed/tr. Vogel,M [Hackett 1986], p.58
A Reaction
This is a strikingly modern view of the solipsism problem, and is close in spirit to Wittgenstein's Private Language Argument (Ideas 4143 +4158). Feuerbach is interested in universals rather than rules. I prefer Feuerbach.
Related Ideas
Idea 4143 One cannot obey a rule 'privately', because that is a practice, not the same as thinking one is obeying [Wittgenstein]
Idea 4158 An 'inner process' stands in need of outward criteria [Wittgenstein]
| 2257 | I myself could be the author of all these self-delusions [Descartes] |
| 23661 | We are only aware of other beings through our senses; without that, we are alone in the universe [Reid] |
| 6932 | Ideas arise through communication, and reason is reached through community [Feuerbach] |
| 5362 | It is not illogical to think that only myself and my mental events exist [Russell] |
| 23503 | Strict solipsism is pure realism, with the self as a mere point in surrounding reality [Wittgenstein] |
| 2777 | Extreme solipsism only concerns current experience, but it might include past and future [Dancy,J] |
| 21227 | The Cogito demands a bridge to the world, and ends in isolating the ego [Velarde-Mayol] |
| 10357 | Methodological Solipsism assumes all ideas could be derived from one mind [Kusch] |