"Solipsism: n: (philosophy) the philosophical theory that the self is all that you know to exist."
As defined a solipsistic view cannot compare itself to others as the concept of other is unknown.
Perhaps we should all endeavor to be more solipsistic in our view of course design, with a proviso.
The provisio is that we exist, in a state of nature, with all the knowledge of golden age architecture past, however, we experience each course we visit for itself, by itself, in itself . . . afterall, the solipsistic GCA afficianado knows what great architecture should be but doesn't observe any particular course beyond itself. A wholly specific analysis if you will.
It renders ratings or rankings or other rather futile thought comparisons moot and it focuses us, all of us, on the merits or weaknesses at hand.
We lose the inane arguments of best public on Long Island, worst private in OZ and everything inbetween and we are set free, existing analytically only one course at a time,
solipsistically playing the day away . . .
Is this possible and if so, is it better than what we're currently doing?