Description:

Creative conception in everyday speech

Antonia Peacocke describes the `problem of creative intention’ as the problem of explaining what kind of intentional actions could be behind the conception of a masterpiece. We think authors and artists are agents who deserve acclaim for coming up with great ideas. But coming up with a great idea can't be the result of an intention to have that idea -- to have such an intention, you'd already have to have the idea! Peacocke’s solution is the refinement model, on which creators start with a draft that allows for reflective iteration.

In this talk, I'll argue that something like the problem of creative intention manifests in our everyday conversation, where we give people credit for saying things that are funny, touching, resonant, and so on. But the refinement model doesn’t straightforwardly generalize, as extemporaneous speech precludes multiple drafts. The solution is to see speakers not only as the authors of the particular things they say, but of authorial personas, too, which involve sets of cultured dispositions as well as a repertoire of tools for turning those dispositions into action.