Confrontations, Representations, and the Philosophy of Art

Derek Matravers (Open University (UK))

Confrontations, Representations, and the Philosophy of Art

Abstract

There seems to be a foundational, if none to clear, distinction between our encountering things and our encountering representations of things. This was, I claim, what Kendall Walton was attempting to clarify in his monumental work, Mimesis as Make-Believe (Harvard, 1990). However, Walton's project has been largely misunderstood which has resulted in a great deal of confusion in much of what passes for the Philosophy of Fiction. In this paper I will argue that Walton's way of making the distinction is untenable and I will attempt to give it firmer foundations. Although the reconceptualised distinction is useful, it lacks the grand explanatory sweep of Walton's project. I shall conclude by arguing that it is, nonetheless, an essential starting point for settling the myriad problems that arise in considering the representational arts.

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