Empty Names, Fiction and the Puzzle of Non-Existence

Empty Names, Fiction and the Puzzle of Non-Existence contains 13 important new papers concerning the semantic and metaphysical issues arising from empty names, existence, and the nature of fiction. The contributors, some of the most important researchers working in these fields, develop and defend new positions on these matters and offer important new criticisms of the existing approaches. The book contains a comprehensive introductory essay by the editors which provides a survey of the philosophical issues concerning empty names, the various responses to these issues, and the literature to date. The book will be of special interest to philosophers of language and to those interested in metaphysics and the nature of fiction.