A Referential Analysis of Fictional Names
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Do fictional names refer to fictional characters? Realists argue they do, while anti-realists argue they do not. According to referentialism, a proper name contributes its referent to the singular proposition expressed by sentences of which the name is a constituent. Furthermore, referentialists argue that the mechanism via which a name means its bearer is best understood as a causal-historical chain of which subsequent uses of the name are parasitic on some initial use (or baptism). For the anti-realist, fictional names present a problem for referentialism as many sentences, such as “Peter Pan was created by J. M. Barrie," seem to refer and express true singular propositions. However, for realists, such sentences are congruent with a referential theory of naming. I will examine two realist accounts in detail, Meinongianism and artifactualism, and argue that artifactualism is the more likely candidate for a realist referential theory concerning fictional names.
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Copyright © 2016 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
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- 2016
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