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Fictionalism about musical works

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Anton Killin
Anton Killin*
Affiliation:
School of Philosophy and Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian National University, Acton, Australia
*
E-mail: anton.killin@anu.edu.au
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Abstract

The debate concerning the ontological status of musical works is perhaps the most animated debate in contemporary analytic philosophy of music. In my view, progress requires a piecemeal approach. So in this article I hone in on one particular musical work concept – that of the classical Western art musical work; that is, the work concept that regulates classical art-musical practice. I defend a fictionalist analysis – a strategy recently suggested by Andrew Kania as potentially fruitful – and I develop a version of such an analysis in line with a broad commitment to philosophical naturalism.

Keywords

Ontology of musical worksclassical Western art musicfictionalismCanberra Planphilosophical naturalism

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Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Philosophy , Volume 48 , Issue 2 , 2018 , pp. 266 - 291
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Journal of Philosophy 2017

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