Incompatibility of theories of fiction in contemporary analytic philosophy with theories of myth

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Ph.D. in Philosophy, Department of Philosophy and Logic, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

A large literature on the ontology of fictional entities has developed in recent decades. These ontologies can be categorised into different groups, ranging from realist to anti-realist approaches. The philosophers of this literature, despite their fundamental differences, agree that whatever can be said about the metaphysics and ontology of fictional entities can also be extended to mythical entities. However, if we look at the characteristics of mythical entities based on the mythologies of the last century, we can conclude that these entities have a function in the real world, include some collective and unconcscious dimensions, and can be realised in different realizers. These characteristics require implications for an appropriate ontology to extend to mythical entities. Applying these implications to the ontologies of fictional objects, it becomes clear that these ontologies cannot be extended to mythical entities. Accordingly, ontologists of mythical objects have to create their distinctive literature based on mythological researches and analytical tools.

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Journal of Philosophical Theological Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 10 December 2024

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