The paradox of fiction, also called the paradox of emotional response to fiction, is a philosophical puzzle asking how people can experience genuine, strong emotions in response to things they know to be fictional and therefore know do not exist. The paradox rests on three individually plausible premises about emotion, belief in the reality of an object and knowledge of a story's fictional status that together appear to generate a contradiction. Although philosophers going back to Plato discussed emotional responses to fiction, the paradox in its modern form was first posed by Colin Radford and Michael Weston in their 1975 paper "How Can We Be Moved by the Fate of Anna Karenina?", and philosophers have continued to propose differing formulations and solutions since.
Facts
Sources
1. Fiction (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyFiction (SEP), on Radford 1975
the paper that introduced the paradox to the philosophical world, Colin Radfords How can we be moved by the fate of Anna Karenina?
Fiction (SEP), on the 1975 publication
the paper that introduced the paradox to the philosophical world, Colin Radfords How can we be moved by the fate of Anna Karenina? was published in 1975.
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Who first posed the paradox of fiction in its modern form, and what makes it a genuine paradox rather than just a curiosity?
Colin Radford and Michael Weston, in their 1975 paper on Anna Karenina; it is a genuine paradox because three individually plausible premises about emotion, belief, and fictional knowledge together generate a contradiction.
Although philosophers going back to Plato discussed emotional responses to fiction, the paradox in its modern form was first posed by Colin Radford and Michael Weston in their 1975 paper "How Can We Be Moved by the Fate of Anna Karenina?" It counts as a genuine paradox, not just an odd observation, because it rests on three individually plausible premises about emotion, about belief in the reality of an object, and about knowledge of a story's fictional status, that together appear to generate a real contradiction rather than a simple oversight. Philosophers have continued to propose differing formulations and solutions since.
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