Demonstrative Reference to the Unreal
Marga Reimer
November 26, 2020 DOI: 10.4324/9781003111894-44 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Demonstrative Linguistics |
| Key points | Argues that demonstrative reference to hallucinations raises a puzzle that can be addressed by an account the author tentatively endorses, and that unusual cases are important for refining theories in the philosophy of language. |
Abstract
Despite the pervasiveness of hallucination, the phenomenon of demonstrative reference to such phenomena has received scant attention in the philosophy of language literature. This chapter begins by introducing some terminology after which the author discusses the phenomenon of hypnagogia and benign hallucinations more generally. It presents a puzzle raised by demonstrative reference to such hallucinations after which the author adumbrates an account of such reference. The chapter discusses two possible solutions to the puzzle, one of which the author reject and one of which the author tentatively endorse. It concludes with some methodological remarks concerning the importance of “odd ball” cases to the “fine-tuning” of theories, with an emphasis on theories in the philosophy of language.