empiricism philosophically “the egocentric predicament” (according to A. J. Ayer) prevents solipsism — gets us out of the circle of our minds by pointing to the public, demonstrable events for corroboration, a defence against platonism (innate ideas, universals, deductive idealism)
psychologically it is that fantasy which makes us feel safe from isolation and paranoid potentialities of solipsism
empirical disguise in case histories is an inevitable defence against the solipsistic power of the fictions