Playing pretend for fun, for grownups: what's the term?
June 7, 2022 6:51 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for a term, academic or otherwise, that encapsulates this idea: two or more people agreeing to a false premise (possibly including: for the sake of fun). You know and I know that this stuffed animal isn't alive, but it has a name and we pretend it is. A more serious example: in gun safety, we all agree to believe and act as though every gun is loaded all the time. Is there a word for this? Something like "suspension of disbelief" but more precise?
I've been pondering this for a week and getting nowhere. If you can tell me if there's an academic term, that'd be great so I can look for writing dealing with this phenomenon. I want to read more about this!
I've been pondering this for a week and getting nowhere. If you can tell me if there's an academic term, that'd be great so I can look for writing dealing with this phenomenon. I want to read more about this!
Polite fiction?
posted by Monochrome at 7:13 PM on June 7, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by Monochrome at 7:13 PM on June 7, 2022 [10 favorites]
"Yes and"?
""Yes, and...", also referred to as "Yes, and..." thinking, is a rule-of-thumb in improvisational comedy that suggests that a participant should accept what another participant has stated ("yes") and then expand on that line of thinking ("and")".[1][2]
posted by bleep at 7:18 PM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
""Yes, and...", also referred to as "Yes, and..." thinking, is a rule-of-thumb in improvisational comedy that suggests that a participant should accept what another participant has stated ("yes") and then expand on that line of thinking ("and")".[1][2]
posted by bleep at 7:18 PM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: My first thought was "shared pretense" and there's at least one or two academic papers using a similar term. Not sure if they're what you're interested in, though.
posted by BungaDunga at 7:20 PM on June 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by BungaDunga at 7:20 PM on June 7, 2022 [8 favorites]
Cosplay?
posted by zadcat at 7:31 PM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by zadcat at 7:31 PM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I think "shared pretense" is going to get me where I need to go! Brilliant, thank you. That first paper you linked looks like a great read and "pretensive shared reality" might be even closer to what I'm thinking.
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:35 PM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:35 PM on June 7, 2022 [2 favorites]
In medicine, we use the term "universal precautions" for the practice of handling all bodily fluids ss though they are carrying bloodborne pathogens.
posted by aquamvidam at 7:57 PM on June 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by aquamvidam at 7:57 PM on June 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
There are a variety of "legal fictions". Although they are probably not what you want, the notion could be adapted to, say, "family fiction".
posted by SemiSalt at 5:22 AM on June 8, 2022
posted by SemiSalt at 5:22 AM on June 8, 2022
A more serious example: in gun safety, we all agree to believe and act as though every gun is loaded all the time.
As to this specific thing, I had a range safety once who said about always pretending the gun is loaded: Act to fact. It's stuck with me for more than 20 years.
posted by Etrigan at 6:33 AM on June 8, 2022
As to this specific thing, I had a range safety once who said about always pretending the gun is loaded: Act to fact. It's stuck with me for more than 20 years.
posted by Etrigan at 6:33 AM on June 8, 2022
in gun safety, we all agree to believe and act as though every gun is loaded all the time.
I think 'take precautions' is more accurate. 'Act like the gun is loaded at all times' is a simplification of that.
People don't really act like every gun is loaded at all times. They clean them, including stuffing things and looking down the barrel and they load the gun - which can involve moves that would be dangerous if the gun was already loaded. They also swing them back and forth when carrying them and accidentally point them at stuff when putting them away in cabinets. These are just rough examples. I've even seen multiple generally safe ex-military guys rest gun barrels on their own foot.
I take it like the COVID mask thing- 'don't touch your face' is terrible advice, because without actual and continual training, people touch their face a lot.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:32 AM on June 8, 2022
I think 'take precautions' is more accurate. 'Act like the gun is loaded at all times' is a simplification of that.
People don't really act like every gun is loaded at all times. They clean them, including stuffing things and looking down the barrel and they load the gun - which can involve moves that would be dangerous if the gun was already loaded. They also swing them back and forth when carrying them and accidentally point them at stuff when putting them away in cabinets. These are just rough examples. I've even seen multiple generally safe ex-military guys rest gun barrels on their own foot.
I take it like the COVID mask thing- 'don't touch your face' is terrible advice, because without actual and continual training, people touch their face a lot.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:32 AM on June 8, 2022
In philosophy, Kendall Walton's theory of representations and representational art refers to this precise activity –– pretend play –– as games of 'make-believe'. It can be found in his book Mimesis as Make Believe: On the Foundations of the Representational Arts, (1990).
posted by Joeruckus at 10:57 AM on June 8, 2022
posted by Joeruckus at 10:57 AM on June 8, 2022
"Consensual reality" is a term I've seen for this. Also, "act as if."
posted by Corvid at 12:32 PM on June 8, 2022
posted by Corvid at 12:32 PM on June 8, 2022
collaborative fable
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:52 PM on June 11, 2022
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:52 PM on June 11, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by flod at 7:08 PM on June 7, 2022 [1 favorite]