Infinite Extra-Ontological (Im)Possibilities

A Meinonguian Approach To The Semantics Of Fiction

Abstract

In this article, we propose a semantics for fictions from an extraontological perspective, inspired by Alexius Meinong’s Gegenstandstheorie. To this end, we develop a logical-semantic system that allows for distinctions between questions regarding aboutness and existential questions, enabling the treatment of truth in statements about unreal objects without ontologically inflating the theory. To refine this approach, we employ a distinction between different types of properties, allowing for a more precise characterization of fictional objects without implying their existence. This perspective offers an alternative to restrictive semantics, providing a formal model that clarifies the relations between reference, predication, and truth in fictional discourse.