In response to Slava's comments regarding Solipsism, Narcissism and Megalomania, I believe he may have misunderstand my position. Making only a loose comparison between Solipsism and Narcissism I said there was "a possible analogy in some ways" between Solipsism and Narcissism. I did not state they are one and the same, or even that there is a close analogy between them. Additionally, I did not state any connection at all between Megalomania and either Solipsism or Narcissism.
Defining terms is a good place to begin. The OED defines these two words as follows:
Solipsism:
[Dictionary Definition]: ‘solipsism’: the view or theory that only the self really exists or can be known. [from Latin ‘solus’ sole, alone + ‘ipse’ self]: in philosophy, the view or theory that only the self really exists or can be known. Now also, isolation, self-centeredness, selfishness. (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 6th ed).
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Narcissism:
[Dictionary Definition]: ‘narcissism’: self-love; extreme vanity’. Psychology emotional or erotic gratification gained from contemplation of one's self or one's appearance,d (Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 6ht ed.)
The "self-centeredness, selfishness" sense of Solipsism is nearly synonymous with "self-love, extreme vanity" sense of Narcissism. So right away there is an obvious connection between these two words. The semantic overlap alone would amply support my claim of a "possible analogy" between Solipsism and Narcissism.
Beyond dictionary definitions, it has been argued that Solipsism and psychological Narcissism are "intertwined."
"At the fundamental level, narcissism and solipsism are intertwined, as the ultimate goal for individuals affected by the former is the desire to return to the infantile state, as reflected by the latter. However, "solipsistic narcissism" outside that state is an oxymoron, as secondary narcissism, as Freud viewed it, is the state in which individuals attempt to reclaim that interconnectedness that epitomized the ego-state of the infantile, which requires the existence of others to unify with oneself. The only state that resembles this, primary solipsism, is only truly achieved at the infantile level, thus making the term functionally impossible for other people." ( See
http://machines.pomona.edu/dfwwiki/inde ... inite_Jest)
The Shorter OED 6th ed. defines Megalomania as "Delusions of grandeur or self-importance, esp. resulting in mental illness; a passion for grandiose schemes; lust for power."
Collectively, the self-importance of Megalomania, the self-love of Narcissism and the self-centeredness of Solipsism are obviously related at some level, even though I claimed only a "possible analogy in some ways" between the last two terms.
I hope this makes my casual comment clear.
