On Obtaining Epistemic Value from Fiction
Prof. Dr. Mitchell Green, University of Connecticut, USA
Abstract:
Consumers of fiction (novels, plays, non-documentary movies, etc.) tend ardently to believe that these works are potential sources of knowledge, understanding, wisdom, insight, etc. Recent research in experimental psychology and aesthetics has, however, produced challenges to this confidence. In this talk, I first review an influential account of the distinction between fiction and non-fiction, and then delineate different kinds of epistemic value including self-knowledge and self-understanding. On those bases I then provide a model on which consumers of fiction can gain self-understanding from their engagement with it—so long as they’re willing to put in the work.
Short Biography:
Mitchell Green is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut. His research is in philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, aesthetics, and pragmatics. He is also interested in the evolution of communication. He has published books such as Self-Expression (Oxford Univ. Press), Know Thyself: The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge (Routledge), Engaging Philosophy: A Brief Introduction (Hackett), and the Philosophy of Language (Oxford). His research articles have appeared in journals such as Mind & Language, the British Journal of Aesthetics, Minds & Machines, Topoi, Nous, Philosophical Studies, Mind, Oxford Studies in the Philosophy of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy, and the Journal of Pragmatics. He is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Philosophia. He is also the designer and primary instructor of a recently launched MOOC (Massive Online Open Course), entitled Environmental Philosophy: Addressing Humanity’s Most Pressing Challenges, available on the FutureLearn platform.
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