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> But Gandalf absolutely exists in objective reality. I address that here: https://blog.rongarret.info/2015/02/31-flavors-of-ontology.html https://blog.rongar

by lisper 2y ago

> But Gandalf absolutely exists in objective reality. I address that here: https://blog.rongarret.info/2015/02/31-flavors-of-ontology.html https://blog.rongarret.info/2015/02/31-flavors-of-ontology.h... That essay was written earlier, so it's not part of the series, but that's the answer. Yes, Gandalf exists in objective reality, but as a fictional character, not as a wizard. So "Gandalf was a wizard" is false if it is taken to mean that Gandalf was an actual wizard in the real world.

skulk 2y ago
But wizards are, by definition, fictional making Gandalf a bona fide wizard. Unless we're holding out hope that magic might be actually real.
- lisper 2y ago
  > But wizards are, by definition, fictional No, they aren't fictional by definition. It's possible wizards exist in objective reality. That's an empirical question, not a definitional one. An example of something that is true of wizards by definition is that they can do magic.