Rethinking Role Realism

Role realism is a promising realist theory of fictional names. Different versions of this theory have been suggested by Gregory Currie, Peter Lamarque, Stein Haugom Olsen, and Nicholas Wolterstorff. The general idea behind the approach is that fictional characters are to be analysed in terms of roles, which in turn can be understood as sets of properties (or alternatively as kinds or functions from possible worlds to individuals). I will discuss several advantages and disadvantages of this approach. I will then propose a novel hyperintensional version of role realism (which I will call impossibilism), according to which fictional names are analysed in terms of individual concepts that cannot be matched by a reference (a full-blooded individual). I will argue that this account avoids the main disadvantages of standard role realism.

Automated summary

Role realism is a promising realist theory of fictional names that analyzes fictional characters in terms of roles. Different versions of this theory have been proposed, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The author introduces a novel hyperintensional version called impossibilism, which avoids the main drawbacks of standard role realism by analyzing fictional names in terms of individual concepts that cannot be matched by a reference.