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Common Belief and Make-Believe
1Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Oude Boteringestraat 52, 9712 Groningen, The Netherlands.
Erkenntnis
|March 16, 2026
Summary
This study proposes a new theory of fictional truth, suggesting it relies on shared beliefs about props rather than unknown facts. This approach aims to make fictional truth more objective and less dependent on external information.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Language
- Metaphysics
- Epistemology
Background:
- Philosophical accounts of make-believe, such as Walton's, suggest unknown facts about props influence fictional truth.
- Discussions by Lewis and Walton highlight the importance of fictional truth in understanding make-believe scenarios.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and evaluate an alternative account of fictional truth that relies on participants' common beliefs about props.
- To avoid the interference of unknown facts in determining fictional truth within games of make-believe.
Main Methods:
- Developing a theoretical framework where fictional truth is determined by shared beliefs regarding the existence and nature of props.
- Analyzing the validity of conditional principles of generation based on common beliefs about props.
Main Results:
- The proposed account makes fictional truth dependent on participants' common beliefs about props, rather than unknown external facts.
- Conditional principles of generation are valid only when quantifying over props whose properties are commonly believed.
Conclusions:
- The proposed account offers a novel perspective on fictional truth, grounding it in shared mental states rather than objective, external realities.
- The study addresses potential objections concerning the objectivity and independence of fictional truth from participants' beliefs.
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