Fictionalism

Fictionalism can bypass much of this debate while defending psychological non-cognitivism.

Boys in White Suits 2009

Fictionalism, on the other hand, is the view that (a) our mathematical sentences and theories do purport to be about abstract mathematical objects, as platonism suggests, but (b) there are no such things as abstract objects, and so (c) our mathematical theories are not true.

Fictionalism in the Philosophy of Mathematics Balaguer, Mark 2008

Fictionalism was first introduced by Field (1980, 1989, 1998).

Fictionalism in the Philosophy of Mathematics Balaguer, Mark 2008

Fictionalism of this sort extending to modal discourse as well should be a position worthy of investigation by those attracted to fictionalist strategies and mistrustful of modality.

Modal Fictionalism Nolan, Daniel 2007

Fictionalism about merely possible objects is an underappreciated theory, and should perhaps recommend itself to more abstractionists about possible worlds than it in fact does.

Modal Fictionalism Nolan, Daniel 2007

In M. Kalderon (ed.), Fictionalism in M.taphysics.

Moral Anti-Realism Joyce, Richard 2007

However, despite its name, “Modal Fictionalism” in its usual manifestations is not primarily fictionalism about claims of necessity and possibility, but rather a fictionalist approach to claims about possible worlds.

Modal Fictionalism Nolan, Daniel 2007

(Discussion of Hellman 1989 will be reserved for Section 5.2, when the notion of categoricity is introduced.) 4.5 Fictionalism

Philosophy of Mathematics Horsten, Leon 2007

“Modal Fictionalism and Analysis” in Kalderon, Mark (ed).

Modal Fictionalism Nolan, Daniel 2007

Fictionalism is an approach to theoretical matters in a given area which treats the claims in that area as being in some sense analogous to fictional claims: claims we do not literally accept at face value, but which we nevertheless think serve some useful function.

Modal Fictionalism Nolan, Daniel 2007