1. Formal Philosophy, 15-March-2017, Moscow
On what there is not, fictional objects and nonexistent things, a problem for ontology or for philosophy of language?
Jorge Luis Méndez-Martínez, Graduate Student, Higher School of Economics
Formal Philosophy, 15-March-2017, Moscow

2. "How, then, can any one put any faith in me
"How, then, can any one put any faith in me? For now, as always, I am unequal to the refutation of not−being. And therefore, as I was saying, do not look to me for the right way of speaking about not−being”. 

3. Example sentences A pikachú is an electric pokemon
Clark Kent is Superman
Cheburaska is fluffy
Sherlock Holmes lives in Baker Street
Kalashnikov does not exist anymore
The daughter of Wittgenstein is smarter than her father
The present King of France is bald

4. Example sentences A pikachú is an electric pokemon
Clark Kent is Superman
Cheburaska is fluffy
Sherlock Holmes lives in Baker Street
Kalashnikov does not exist anymore
The daughter of Wittgenstein is smarter than her father
The present King of France is bald

5. Example sentences A pikachú is an electric pokemon
Clark Kent is Superman
Cheburaska is fluffy
Sherlock Holmes lives in Baker Street
Kalashnikov does not exist anymore
The daughter of Wittgenstein is smarter than her father
The present King of France is bald

6. Example sentences A pikachú is an electric pokemon
Clark Kent is Superman
Cheburashka is fluffy
Sherlock Holmes lives in Baker Street
Kalashnikov does not exist anymore
The daughter of Wittgenstein is smarter than her father
The present King of France is bald

7. Example sentences A pikachú is an electric pokemon
Clark Kent is Superman
Cheburaska is fluffy
Sherlock Holmes lives in Baker Street
Kalashnikov does not exist anymore
The daughter of Wittgenstein is smarter than her father
The present King of France is bald

8. Example sentences A pikachú is an electric pokemon
Clark Kent is Superman
Cheburaska is fluffy
Sherlock Holmes lives in Baker Street
Kalashnikov does not exist anymore
The daughter of Wittgenstein is smarter than her father
The present King of France is bald

9. Example sentences A pikachú is an electric pokemon
Clark Kent is Superman
Cheburaska is fluffy
Sherlock Holmes lives in Baker Street
Kalashnikov does not exist anymore
The daughter of Wittgenstein is smarter than her father
The present King of France is bald

10. Example sentences A pikachú is an electric pokemon
Clark Kent is Superman
Cheburaska is fluffy
Sherlock Holmes lives in Baker Street
Kalashnikov does not exist anymore
The daughter of Wittgenstein is smarter than her father
The present King of France is bald

11. Example sentences 8. Ned Stark was proclaimed the King of Westeros
9. The round square is red
10. Nessie does not exist
11. Vulcan is more than 1000 miles in diameter
12. Napoleon is angry
13. Bernie Sanders is the president of the United States

12. Example sentences 8. Ned Stark was proclaimed the King of Westeros
9. The round square is red
10. Nessie does not exist
11. Vulcan is more than 1000 miles in diameter
12. Napoleon is angry
13. Bernie Sanders is the president of the United States

13. Example sentences 8. Ned Stark was proclaimed the King of Westeros
9. The round square is red
10. Nessie does not exist
11. Vulcan is more than 1000 miles in diameter
12. Napoleon is angry
13. Bernie Sanders is the president of the United States

14. Example sentences 8. Ned Stark was proclaimed the King of Westeros
9. The round square is red
10. Nessie does not exist
11. Vulcan is more than 1000 miles in diameter
12. Napoleon is angry
13. Bernie Sanders is the president of the United States

15. Example sentences 8. Ned Stark was proclaimed the King of Westeros
9. The round square is red
10. Nessie does not exist
11. Vulcan is more than 1000 miles in diameter
12. Napoleon is angry
13. Bernie Sanders is the president of the United States

16. Example sentences 8. Ned Stark was proclaimed the King of Westeros
9. The round square is red
10. Nessie does not exist
11. Vulcan is more than 1000 miles in diameter
12. Napoleon is angry
13. Bernie Sanders is the president of the United States

17. Example sentences 8. Ned Stark was proclaimed the King of Westeros
9. The round square is red
10. Nessie does not exist
11. Vulcan is more than 1000 miles in diameter
12. Napoleon is angry
13. Bernie Sanders is the president of the United States

18. Example sentences
A pikachú is an electric pokemon
Clark Kent is Superman
Cheburaska is fluffy
Sherlock Holmes lives in Baker Street
Kalashnikov does not exist anymore
The daughter of Wittgenstein is smarter than her father
The present King of France is bald
8. Ned Stark was proclaimed the King of Westeros 9. The round square is red 10. Nessie does not exist 11. Vulcan is more than 1000 miles in diameter 12. Napoleon is angry 13. Bernie Sanders is the president of the United States

19. Proposed categories
Actual, contingent and evidently existent objects (“Bernie Sanders”)
Impossible objects (“the round square”)
Possible unactualized objects or possibilia (“Wittgenstein’s daughter”)
Past objects that do not exist anymore (“Napoleon”, “Kalashnikov”, “King of France”)
Objects whose existence are or was unto debate (“Vulcan”)
Abstract mathematical objects
Robust fictional objects (“Cheburashka”, “Superman”, “Sherlock Holmes”)

20. Two options
Philosophy of language, logic OR Ontology of fiction

21. Descriptivist Solutions

22. Contradictions in “The Present King of France”
“The present King of France is bald” is false.
Contradiction?
“The present King of France is not bald” is false.
“It is not true that the present King of France is bald” is true.
Contradiction?
“It is not true that the present King of France is not bald” is true.

23. Famous Russell’s formula
-x (Fx & (y) Fy x= y) & Gx)

24. Consequences of the analysis
Not a problem of FO or NEO, but Empty Names
There is no sense to talk about the property of existence
Movement towards descriptions
Erasure of FO

25. Referential modalities

26. Consequences Attack on descriptivism: the modal argument
Rigid connection between the object and name
Unactualized possibilia?
A name name:
‘thou shalt refer’
The problem of the unicorn

27. Modal considerations Existence as spatiotemporal actuality (Salmon)
FO are not possibilia
Fictionality in possible worlds

28. A matter of logic “According to the story” strategy
Existence as a predicable property: E!
Models with a domain D, and interpretative function I, which include NEO

29. Example model
D = <d, c, o, l>, dragon (d), crocodile (c ), orc, (o), lori (l)
I: F, “breathes fire”, S, “has scales”, P “has a primate-like anatomy”, M “lives in Mordor”

31. Problems and consequences
Intransitivity: real world predicates
Introduction of other operators: temporal objects, future objects; and modal features.

32. Free logic frames
Positive free logic, close to Lambert (another key figure), where there are true sentences based on principles such as that of identity, like “Vulcan = Vulcan”.
Fregean free logic: where the failure in referring is just an indeterminacy.
The Negative Free logic (NFL), which is the view endorsed by Sainsbury.

33. RWR and NFL
1. There are singular referring expressions, and plural ones. 2. There are simple referring expressions and complex ones. 3. Some intelligible referring expressions have no referents. 4. A referring expression without a referent may occur in truth. 5. Semantic theory is governed by NFL. 6. Reference is an absolute relation, and is not world-relative. Ergo, there is not room for modalities. 7.Referring expressions are rigid designators. 8. If a singular referring expression refers to x and y, then x = y

34. An ontological problem

35. FO are not nonexistent (FO  NEO).
Thomasson artefactual theory: FO are abstract artefacts
FO are existential dependent
Two dependencies: 1. Literary works (partially material, dependence); 2. Mental acts of authors (primary dependence)
Category Ontology
Authorial Issues

36. FO are not nonexistent (FO  NEO).
Thomasson artefactual theory: FO are abstract artefacts
FO are existential dependent
Two dependencies: 1. Literary works (partially material, dependence); 2. Mental acts of authors (primary dependence)
Category Ontology
Authorial Issues

37. Dependence entailment
RCD  RHD  RD    GCD  GHD  GD

40. “I can catch a Pikachu”
FO that exist in a spatiotemporal actual manner, are they FO?
What is their connection with old pokemon?
How to understand the authorial dependence here?
Social communicative chain

41. Спасибо!