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I read it here: What is meant by the behavior of other people in argument?

"It has the obvious drawback that the real explanation might not have been considered yet"

As far as I understand this argument can be found to be incorrect in the future?

That is, in the future, will there be any argument that will better explain the behavior of other people?

What is the future of the argument of the best explanation for the existence of other minds? Thanks

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  • solipsism tends to strike me as a waste of energy; "anything's possible"
    – user62233
    Commented Aug 27, 2022 at 10:53
  • It could be alternatively best explained in some hypnotic solipsism as those hinted by Idries Shah for example, but since this type of theory deals entirely with a singular private mind and our language communicated here in SE format is obviously public, thus this theory cannot be expressed and understood as you wished by simply expecting a written answer for you from somewhere out of the blue... Commented Aug 28, 2022 at 0:35
  • I'm curious as to the motivation behind your earnest inquiry? I don't doubt that you are sincere or concerned about something, but it would help to know what it is. Are you worried that humans might turn out to not have 'minds', as you see that?
    – Scott Rowe
    Commented Aug 31, 2022 at 10:31

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Here's one approach to your paradoxical (to me) denial of my qualitative response to your question.

Philosophers of science tend to demand from each other, at the very least, that any anti-realism "preserve the phenomena"; meaning, there is a broad consensus in the philosophy of science that they cannot correct the empirical predictions of physics. It'd be insane and pointless.

Does solipsism "preserve the phenomena" that appear to you? In a way, why not? You acknowledge that other "people" respond as they do, just deny that there's anything else to it.

Then you have to worry about what else the non-solipsists are adding to what you claim. Oh, "you're all philosophical zombies, and I am not". That may not be offensive, but it does make your body entirely Sui Generis, which strikes me as a lot less likely that the existence of God (and the failure of past miracle claims won't matter, because none of that happened).

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  • I asked what would happen to the best explanation argument in the future? Is the best explanation argument the best for the existence of other minds, and there can be no better argument? Or will some other explanation for the behavior we observe in other people emerge in the future? Thank you
    – Johnny5454
    Commented Aug 27, 2022 at 11:56
  • anything's possible @Johnny5454 the sun may not rise tomorrow.
    – user62233
    Commented Aug 27, 2022 at 12:22
  • I would suggest seeing solipsism as a kind of 21sxt century mental disease tbh @Johnny5454 do we blame the Matrix?
    – user62233
    Commented Aug 27, 2022 at 12:27
  • If simply: There used to be an argument by analogy, then it was replaced by the argument of the best explanation for the existence of other minds. As far as I understand this is the best argument for other minds. If this argument turns out to be false, it would mean that the best explanation for other people's behavior is not other minds. Did I understand something wrong?
    – Johnny5454
    Commented Aug 27, 2022 at 12:55
  • I think that when an explanation fails, we may fail to have any explanation @Johnny5454 beside the point anyway. Saying "it might be wrong" is not philosophy: maybe the earth is flat.
    – user62233
    Commented Aug 27, 2022 at 13:58

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