University of Sussex
Browse
stock_Testimony and fictional content2.pdf (342.73 kB)

Learning from fiction and theories of fictional content

Download (342.73 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 01:11 authored by Kathleen Stock
I present a dilemma for defenders of two theories of fictional content: Hypothetical Intentionalism and Value-Maximising Theory. The dilemma concerns the presence of testimony in passages of fiction, and the fact that the very same passage might serve both to produce justified beliefs in a reader and as a source of fictional content. On the first horn of the dilemma, these theories reject the author’s actual intentions as the source of the content of the testimony: in which case they cannot accommodate the potential function of the passage to produce justified beliefs in readers. On the second, they accept the author’s actual intentions as the source of this content: in which case they cannot accommodate the reader’s experience of interpreting testimony-in-fiction in a way which is continuous with the experience of interpreting fictive utterance, according to their own views. Since Actual Intentionalism escapes this dilemma it should be preferred.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Teorema

ISSN

0210-1602

Publisher

University of Oviedo

Issue

3

Volume

XXXV

Page range

69-83

Department affiliated with

  • Philosophy Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2016-05-10

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2016-10-06

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-05-10

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC