Holy Intertextual Identity Conditions, Batman!

• Author / Creator

  Dobozy, Peter

• Fictional characters pose interesting questions both to metaphysics and philosophy of language. We appear to have two incompatible intuitions about fictional characters: 1) fictional characters are created and 2) fictional characters are nonexistent. To say something is created is to say that it exists. However, to say that fictional characters are nonexistent, suggests that they are not created. Various theories attempt to explain the ontological status of fictional characters based on one of these intuitions. Once a theory is adopted, a subsequent concern is how that theory might identify individual fictional characters. I investigate two such proposals that are based on our second intuition. I argue that these attempts are uncharitably criticized because they have not been fully developed. I develop these attempts further to show how they can withstand previous criticisms. However, in doing so, I expose other problems faced by these attempts that appears to genuinely lead to their demise.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Fictional characters
  • Intertextual identity conditions

• Graduation date

  Fall 2010

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3VB2T

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.