{"id":{"repo_id":"nus","oai_identifier":"oai:scholarbank.nus.edu.sg:10635/245511"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/nus/oai:scholarbank.nus.edu.sg:10635/245511","repository":{"repo_id":"nus","name":"National University of Singapore","base_url":"https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"REALISM ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE FICTIONS","abstract":"In this paper, I argue for the thesis that some impossible propositions are true-in-fiction, and I suggest that we ought to take the datum that we seem to engage with non-vacuous impossible contents, seriously. I discuss a trilemma presented by Derek Matravers that highlights some tensions between the philosophy of fiction and modal epistemology, and I suggest that we ought not to deny the existence of fiction with impossible contents. I then consider arguments for the rejection of such impossible fictions, as well as attempts to account for them within a possibilist framework, but I argue that these are unsatisfactory. If I am right, this seems to call for the development of a hyperintensional semantics for fiction and imagination.","abstract_html":"In this paper, I argue for the thesis that some impossible propositions are true-in-fiction, and I suggest that we ought to take the datum that we seem to engage with non-vacuous impossible contents, seriously. I discuss a trilemma presented by Derek Matravers that highlights some tensions between the philosophy of fiction and modal epistemology, and I suggest that we ought not to deny the existence of fiction with impossible contents. I then consider arguments for the rejection of such impossible fictions, as well as attempts to account for them within a possibilist framework, but I argue that these are unsatisfactory. If I am right, this seems to call for the development of a hyperintensional semantics for fiction and imagination.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["EUGENE HO WEI KANG"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Ben Richard Kelsey Blumson"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-06-30","date_published":"2023-06-30","updated_at":"2026-08-21T16:47:09Z","subjects":["Fiction, Truth in Fiction, Modality, Impossible Fiction, Imagination, Possibilism"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/245511","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"source_record":{"url":"https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Ascholarbank.nus.edu.sg%3A10635%2F245511","prefix":"dim"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["PHILOSOPHY"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.supervisor","label":"Supervisor","values":["Ben Richard Kelsey Blumson"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["EUGENE HO WEI KANG"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2023-10-25T18:01:17Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-10-25T18:01:17Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2023-06-30"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/245511"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Fiction, Truth in Fiction, Modality, Impossible Fiction, Imagination, Possibilism"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/bitstreams/b5ca8cf3-a5ef-4432-a4c0-aa63a0f03712/download","https://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/245511"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In this paper, I argue for the thesis that some impossible propositions are true-in-fiction, and I suggest that we ought to take the datum that we seem to engage with non-vacuous impossible contents, seriously. I discuss a trilemma presented by Derek Matravers that highlights some tensions between the philosophy of fiction and modal epistemology, and I suggest that we ought not to deny the existence of fiction with impossible contents. I then consider arguments for the rejection of such impossible fictions, as well as attempts to account for them within a possibilist framework, but I argue that these are unsatisfactory. 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