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Single Idea 10447

[filed under theme 19. Language / B. Reference / 1. Reference theories ]

Full Idea

If fictional entities, such as characters in a play, are real, albeit abstract entities, then we can genuinely refer to them.

Gist of Idea

We can refer to fictional entities if they are abstract objects

Source

Kent Bach (What Does It Take to Refer? [2006], 22.1)

Book Ref

'Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Language', ed/tr. Lepore,E/Smith,B [OUP 2008], p.534

A Reaction

[He cites Nathan Salmon 1998] Personally I would prefer to say that abstract entities are fictions. Fictional characters have uncertain identity conditions. Do they all have a pancreas, if this is never mentioned?

Related Idea

The 24 ideas from Kent Bach

12900 How could 'S knows he has hands' not have a fixed content? [Bach]
12901 If contextualism is right, knowledge sentences are baffling out of their context [Bach]
12902 Sceptics aren't changing the meaning of 'know', but claiming knowing is tougher than we think [Bach]
10439 What refers: indefinite or definite or demonstrative descriptions, names, indexicals, demonstratives? [Bach]
10440 An object can be described without being referred to [Bach]
10446 Fictional reference is different inside and outside the fiction [Bach]
10441 If we can refer to things which change, we can't be obliged to single out their properties [Bach]
10447 We can refer to fictional entities if they are abstract objects [Bach]
10442 We can think of an individual without have a uniquely characterizing description [Bach]
10443 You 'allude to', not 'refer to', an individual if you keep their identity vague [Bach]
10444 Definite descriptions can be used to refer, but are not semantically referential [Bach]
10445 It can't be real reference if it could refer to some other thing that satisfies the description [Bach]
10455 Free logic at least allows empty names, but struggles to express non-existence [Bach]
10453 In logic constants play the role of proper names [Bach]
10454 In first-order we can't just assert existence, and it is very hard to deny something's existence [Bach]
10456 Millian names struggle with existence, empty names, identities and attitude ascription [Bach]
10452 Proper names can be non-referential - even predicate as well as attributive uses [Bach]
10457 Since most expressions can be used non-referentially, none of them are inherently referential [Bach]
10459 Context does not create reference; it is just something speakers can exploit [Bach]
10460 'That duck' may not refer to the most obvious one in the group [Bach]
10458 People slide from contextual variability all the way to contextual determination [Bach]
10461 What a pronoun like 'he' refers back to is usually a matter of speaker's intentions [Bach]
10462 Information comes from knowing who is speaking, not just from interpretation of the utterance [Bach]
10463 Just alluding to or describing an object is not the same as referring to it [Bach]