CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2017
| Author | Kajtár, László |
|---|---|
| Title | Philosophical Issues in the Study of Narrative |
| Summary | The thesis concerns certain philosophical issues that arise in connection with the notion of ‘narrative’. First, what is narrative? Second, if some narratives are fiction, what makes them so? Third, what can one learn from narrative art? Fourth, what is the difference between experiences that are lived and experiences that are conjured up through empathy by narratives? Fifth, how should narratives be interpreted, and do they need to be interpreted based on the communicative intentions of their makers? Sixth, what is the role of narratives in everyday life and in connection to one’s identity? And lastly, seventh, what is the role of the imagination in creating and comprehending narratives? These are all central issues in the study of narrative, and both the problems and the answers branch out into core areas of philosophy: metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind and philosophy of action. After the definition of narrative, the six chapters are divided into three groups: truth, meaning and mind. First then, even though ‘narrative’ is a widely used term in a variety of disciplines, it is an elusive one. I make a distinction between narrative artworks and elements, argue that most narratives artifacts are patchworks of narrative and non-narrative elements, and I approach narrative artifacts in three steps: 1) as representations; 2) ones that typically make sense of what they represent; and 3) as products of intentions. Second, many philosophers draw the line between fictional and non-fictional narratives based on the claim that the contents of fiction are intended to be imagined by the audience – this is what defines fiction irrespective of truth and falsity. In contrast, I argue that fictional narratives cannot be true, and I consider some difficult cases which would warrant the opposite view. I maintain that ‘being fictional’ and ‘being true’ are incompatible for narratives. Third, it is contentious whether art is an appropriate vehicle of learning, or, whether it has ‘cognitive value’ that is significant in an aesthetic way. My argument is that the most important lessons of art are not truths in propositional form, rather, art provides one with experiential knowledge, with knowing, to a degree, what it is like to be in certain situations. Fourth, while narrative artworks have the capacity to evoke certain experiences (and thus provide experiential knowledge), it is not clear what the difference is between experiences as lived and experiences as evoked by narrative artworks. I defend the view that, in contrast to experiences as lived, experiences evoked through empathy by narrative artworks are meaningful in a specific way. Fifth, philosophers have long been debating whether artists’ intentions should play a role in interpreting artworks. In this chapter, I carve out a qualified position: when it comes to what story a narrative artworks tells, one should refer to intentions, however, one need not do so when understanding what themes are developed by the work or when examining the functions of details that contribute to developing these themes. Sixth, many claim, not just in philosophy but in psychology as well, that narratives are important when it comes personal identity. Some think they constitute one’s ‘self’ or, at the least, make actions and events in one’s personal history intelligible. I argue for a different view: narratives are important for personal identity because they communicate, intentionally and unintentionally, who one is, and they provide access to self-knowledge and opportunity for self-shaping. Seventh, as mentioned, philosophers tend to think that fictional narratives are distinguished by their prescribing the imaginings of their contents. In this last chapter, the position developed is that certain kinds of imagination are necessary for both creating and comprehending narratives irrespective of their fictionality. All in all, the thesis provides much needed conceptual clarifications, and it develops novel and original arguments and views regarding central topics in the study of narrative, making the study of narrative relevant beyond aesthetics for other areas of philosophy. |
| Supervisor | Weberman, David |
| Department | Philosophy PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2017/kajtar_laszlo.pdf |
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