Philosophy 320 - Seminar: Fiction

Sem: Fiction

Spring
2025
01
4.00
Malcolm Keating

W 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM

Smith College
PHI-320-01-202503
Sabin-Reed 331
mkeating@smith.edu
Humans seem to respond emotionally to fictions, like films or books. It seems like they can also talk about fictions, as when someone says in which (fictional) city the (fictional) characters live. But if these places and people don’t exist, what are humans feeling and talking about? This course investigates philosophical problems related to fiction in aesthetics and philosophy of language: Do fictional entities exist somehow, in minds or in the world? How does one explain human attitudes towards them? Can domains other than literature (e.g., morality, mathematics) be explained by using the concept of fiction? Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

[CE] JR/SR only

Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.
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