Memory of Existing Objects as a Fundamental: Metaphysical and Ontological Component of Fictional Entities by Arturo Leyva Pizano
This paper explores a novel perspective on fictional entities' metaphysical and ontological nature, bridging analytic philosophy and neuroscientific evidence. Revisiting the longstanding debate between fictional realists and antirealists, the paper draws on neuroscientific insights to make a compelling case for fictional realism, proposing that fictional entities are contingent, hylomorphic artifacts fundamentally dependent on the memory of existing objects.
Central to the discussion is the interplay between memory and imagination. Neuroscientific studies show that imagination uses past experiences to form new ideas in the mind. Imagination rearranges elements from these memories. People do not only remember events. They use this process to picture future situations. It helps them face new challenges. The paper argues that fictional entities are born from this cognitive reworking, where creators synthesize, disassemble, and modify mental images of real objects into new, fictional forms. Creativity does arise from noting as pure creation. It is limited to our experiences encoded in our brain memory centers.
This theory questions old ideas about creating fictional characters. It argues against the belief that fictional characters are just words or exist as abstract objects. Characters do not live separately from human thought. Instead, fictional characters are not solely dependent on the works that describe them but owe their existence to the actual objects and experiences their creators perceived, remembered, and imaginatively reworked.
The paper explains two types of fictional creation꞉: intentional and spontaneous. Traditional fiction involves a deliberate plan by the writer. Spontaneous fiction comes from the brain's natural ability to mix memories into stories. Writing fiction has many sides. Writers plan with care. They also use unconscious thoughts.
The paper explains fictional beings exist in a specific way. These beings depend on other things. Real objects support them. They also rely on stories that describe them. People's minds are essential. Those who interact with stories give life to these beings. This view contrasts with the Platonic idea of fictional entities as eternal, necessary beings, framing them instead as temporal artifacts rooted in human cognition.
The implications reach beyond philosophy to human creativity itself. Imagination depends on reworking memories instead of creating entirely new things. This idea raises an interesting question. Are we truly able to make anything genuinely new? Or is human creativity bound by the limits of memory? This view suggests all innovation is likely a clever reworking of existing parts. It challenges traditional ideas of what is original and inventive.
The paper's insights are supported by analyzing neuroscientific mechanisms, such as prefrontal synthesis, memory integration, and the brain's core network. These steps show how imagination and memory connect closely. They help form fictional things and uncover the limits of human creativity. Human creativity probably has limitations.
This work offers a robust alternative to pretense theories and enriches philosophical discourse on fiction by presenting a scientifically grounded account of fictional realism. It invites readers to reconsider the relationship between the real and the imaginary, emphasizing the centrality of memory in shaping creativity and fictional worlds. Ultimately, this perspective calls for a deeper understanding of the creative process as a reconstruction of the past rather than producing something entirely new.
