Daydreams in Introduction to Logic | Brian Hillman
The difference between
infatuation and fantasy
is mapped the de dicto, de re
distinction in philosophy.
On the de dicto reading of sentence
(1) I want to fuck someone beautiful,
The speaker has no referent in mind,
while sentence (1) uttered de re,
in the presence of one salient
slice of perfection, God’s
grace and torture, it’s
clear that she is the one
whom one want in your
bed, to wake up beside you,
luxuriating in each other’s
groggy smells, pulsating
lust for her, in her full humanity,
her shimmering black
hair accentuating rosy
cheeks, not some theoretical
construct, used to demonstrate
theoretical philosophical concepts,
the object of desire isn’t in a
textbook, but here before you.
Brian Hillman (he/him) is an assistant professor of Religious Studies at Towson University in Towson, MD. His work focuses on Jewish mysticism, Jewish literature, and religion in popular culture. His work has appeared in Jewish Studies Quarterly, the Journal of Interreligious Studies, AcademFic, and the Jewish Literary Journal.