Solipsism syndrome
Encyclopedia
Solipsism syndrome is a postulated condition which may be faced by those living in space or on another planet for extended periods of time. It may be best described as 'severe Big Brother anomie
'.
is a philosophical
position that nothing outside one's own mind can be known to exist, or, sometimes, the position that nothing outside one's own mind does exist. Solipsism syndrome is, by extension, the overwhelming feeling that nothing is real, that all is a dream. Sufferers become lonely and detached from the world and eventually become completely indifferent. Some people claim to have suffered from Solipsism Syndrome but it is not currently recognized as a psychiatric disorder by the American Psychiatric Association.
Shortly after the first manned space efforts, scientists recognized that future space missions might face different scenarios, environments, and challenges, than those of short flight duration. Psychologists have noted that some astronauts and cosmonauts have exhibited symptoms of the syndrome. Concern was raised by scholars regarding the role of the syndrome in fostering disputes within space colonies, including those such as Skylab.
, as these are seen as potentially being conducive to the development of this syndrome.
"Space Settlements: A Design Study" which proposes designs for space colonization
:
Anomie
Anomie is a term meaning "without Law" to describe a lack of social norms; "normlessness". It describes the breakdown of social bonds between an individual and their community ties, with fragmentation of social identity and rejection of self-regulatory values. It was popularized by French...
'.
Overview
SolipsismSolipsism
Solipsism is the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist. The term comes from Latin solus and ipse . Solipsism as an epistemological position holds that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure. The external world and other minds cannot be known, and might not...
is a philosophical
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
position that nothing outside one's own mind can be known to exist, or, sometimes, the position that nothing outside one's own mind does exist. Solipsism syndrome is, by extension, the overwhelming feeling that nothing is real, that all is a dream. Sufferers become lonely and detached from the world and eventually become completely indifferent. Some people claim to have suffered from Solipsism Syndrome but it is not currently recognized as a psychiatric disorder by the American Psychiatric Association.
Shortly after the first manned space efforts, scientists recognized that future space missions might face different scenarios, environments, and challenges, than those of short flight duration. Psychologists have noted that some astronauts and cosmonauts have exhibited symptoms of the syndrome. Concern was raised by scholars regarding the role of the syndrome in fostering disputes within space colonies, including those such as Skylab.
Environmental
The concept of solipsism syndrome originated within discussion of future space environments at NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, as these are seen as potentially being conducive to the development of this syndrome.
Effects on design
Psychological considerations are important in the design of enclosed spaces such as artificial habitats in deep space or under water, with the syndrome being specifically identified as a factor by scientists and engineers. Several strategies to attempt to avoid occurrence of solipsism syndrome in artificial environments are discussed in NASA'sNASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
"Space Settlements: A Design Study" which proposes designs for space colonization
Space colonization
Space colonization is the concept of permanent human habitation outside of Earth. Although hypothetical at the present time, there are many proposals and speculations about the first space colony...
:
- A large geometryGeometryGeometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, in which people can see far beyond the "theatre stage" of the vicinity to a view which is overwhelmingly visible. - Something must exist beyond each human's manipulation because people learn to cope with reality when reality is different from their imagination. If the reality is the same as the imagination, there is no escape from falling into solipsism. In extraterrestrial communities, everything can be virtually controlled. In fact, technically nothing should go beyond human control even though this is psychologically bad; however, some amount of "unpredictability" can be built in within a controllable range. One way to achieve this is to generate artificial unpredictability by means of a table of random numbers. Another way is to allow animals and plants a degree of freedom and independence from human planning. Both types of unpredictability must have a high visibility to be effective. This high visibility is easier to achieve in a macrogeometry which allows longer lines of sight.
- Something must exist which grows. Interactive processes generate new patternPatternA pattern, from the French patron, is a type of theme of recurring events or objects, sometimes referred to as elements of a set of objects.These elements repeat in a predictable manner...
s which cannot be inferred from the information contained in the old state. This is not due to randomness but rather to different amplification by mutual causal loops. It is important for each person to feel able to contribute personally to something which grows, that the reality often goes in a direction different from expectation, and finally that what each person takes care of (a child, for example) may possess increased wisdom, and may grow into something beyond the individual in control. From this point of view, it is important personally to raise children, and to grow vegetables and trees with personal care, not by mechanical means. It is also desirable to see plants and animals grow, which is facilitated by a long line of sight. - It is important to have "something beyond the horizonHorizonThe horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...
" which gives the feeling that the world is larger than what is seen.
See also
- AnomieAnomieAnomie is a term meaning "without Law" to describe a lack of social norms; "normlessness". It describes the breakdown of social bonds between an individual and their community ties, with fragmentation of social identity and rejection of self-regulatory values. It was popularized by French...
- SolipsismSolipsismSolipsism is the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist. The term comes from Latin solus and ipse . Solipsism as an epistemological position holds that knowledge of anything outside one's own mind is unsure. The external world and other minds cannot be known, and might not...
- Brain in a vatBrain in a vatIn philosophy, the brain in a vat is an element used in a variety of thought experiments intended to draw out certain features of our ideas of knowledge, reality, truth, mind, and meaning...
- DerealizationDerealizationDerealization is an alteration in the perception or experience of the external world so that it seems unreal. Other symptoms include feeling as though one's environment is lacking in spontaneity, emotional coloring and depth. It is a dissociative symptom of many conditions, such as psychiatric and...
- Existential crisisExistential crisisAn existential crisis is a stage of development at which an individual questions the very foundations of his or her life: whether his or her life has any meaning, purpose or value...