Reciprocal Altruism || Snowbarry College AU

Therefore I Am Descartes II

When she arrived, completely out of breath, she noticed that Barry was just running up to the library as well, albeit less out of breath than she (him being a track star and all).

"Solipsism," Barry said as he made his way towards Caitlin.

Caitlin, still breathing heavily from her run, put both her hands on her knees as she bent over. "What?"

Barry took her backpack from her and swung it over his shoulders so she would have less things to carry and they both walked into the library. "It's what we were talking about before. You really got in my head and so I had to go home and research it."

"Nerd." Caitlin grinned; she couldn't believe that Barry had actually taken her theory seriously.

"Solipsism! It's a whole philosophical theory that you can't really be sure of anyone else's existence but yourself because everything around you could just be a figment of your own consciousness. We can only know we exist because we are the only thing that is certain."

"'Cogito ergo sum,'" Caitlin quoted in Latin.

"'I think; therefore I am.' Exactly!" Barry broadcasted wildly.

"Descartes said that," Caitlin said, as she and Barry searched for an empty table to work on.

"That was his whole thing!" Barry exclaimed as the librarian glared at him. "He was the start of solipsism. His whole idea about the inner mind versus the external world, subjectivity versus objectivity—"

"The Cartesian self, that's right!" Caitlin agreed loudly.

"Shhhh!" the librarian reprimanded.

Caitlin blushed. "Maybe we should find a table outside."

Barry agreed, "The weather is pretty nice... unless it's all in our heads and that's how we view the weather and what if weather doesn't even exist!"

"Solipsism! Wow, I can't believe that that's an actual thing."

"I mean, it's widely disfavored in the world of psychology, but try and refute it," Barry challenged.

"You can't! Huh..." Caitlin let out a huff of breath, as she and Barry finally found a nice bench right outside the library.

As they both sat down Barry commented, "That's kind of sad and even kind of scary to think about though. You and you alone are the only person in existence? Sounds lonely."

"Yeah," Caitlin said, "But I must have a pretty wild imagination if this is the life I came up for myself."

"Or pretty boring, we're literally going to study now. Is this the crazy life you dreamed for yourself?" Barry countered.

"Oh please, it's not like I can just suddenly get superpowers and become a villain out of a comic book."

"But why not? If it's all in your head?"

"I guess I don't have control over my own consciousness," Caitlin surmised.

"That's even scarier." Barry shuddered at the thought.

They both sat in silence for a few seconds.

"And now onto biology we go!" Barry announced.

Caitlin giggled softly. "Okay, but before that, I have something to give you."

Caitlin reached into her backpack and began rummaging around.

"Oo, a present from my fake girlfriend already." Barry touched his fingers together in anticipation. "I wonder what it is."