David Lewis' 'Truth in Fiction' explores how we determine what is true within a fictional world. Essentially, it's about the rules that govern our understanding of fictional statements. For example, in a detective story, certain facts are established as true within the story's context, like the identity of the detective. Lewis' ideas help us to systematically think about such fictional truths.
David Lewis defines 'truth in fiction' in relation to possible worlds. He suggests that what is true in a fiction is what is true in the closest possible world to the fictional world presented. For example, if a story is about a world where people can fly, then the 'truths' about flying in that story are based on how it would be in the closest possible world where flying is a normal human ability.
The 'Lewis Truth in Fiction' is a theory proposed by David Lewis. Essentially, it's about what is true within a fictional world. For example, in the world of 'Harry Potter', it's true that Hogwarts is a school for wizards. Lewis tries to formalize how we can make sense of statements like these in a more philosophical way.
'Lewis Truth in Fiction' affects our understanding of fictional characters in multiple ways. First, it allows us to determine which characteristics are essential to the character within the fictional context. If it's true in the fictional world that a character is a detective, like Sherlock Holmes, then this fact shapes our entire perception of the character. We expect certain behaviors and skills from the character based on this truth. Second, it helps in creating a consistent view of the character throughout the story. If at the beginning it's established as a 'Lewis Truth' that a character is shy, then any deviation from that trait needs to be properly justified within the fictional world for our understanding of the character to remain intact.
In the movie 'The Life of David Gale', at the end, David Gale is executed for a crime he didn't commit. His plan was to sacrifice himself to prove the flaws in the death penalty system. He set up a situation where it seemed he was guilty of murder, but in reality, he was trying to expose how the system could be manipulated and how an innocent person could be wrongly condemned to death.
Well, it could be either. Truth often aligns with facts and evidence, while fiction is made up. But sometimes, what seems like fiction might have elements of truth, and vice versa. It's not always black and white.