Mr. Crittenden in his stimulating article 'Everyday Reality As Fiction -A Madhyamika Interpretation',' has tried to defend a non-metaphysical approach to the Madhyamika philosophy with an emphasis on the kind of 'general attitudes' one is supposed to have to reality which makes the 'panfiction approach . . . useful'.2 The non-metaphysical and, correspondingly, attitudinal approach to the Mldhyamika philosophy seems to be quite appropriate and laudable. However, it remains to be seen how the "panfictional" approach as elaborated in the paper fits in there.
Crittenden begins his article with an analysis of the logic of the fictional discourse by analysing the logic of fictional names. We can 'refer to fictional characters and situations and make true and false assertions about them'.3 Since reference can be achieved 'within a story', it involves no ontological commitment in the context of fictional discourse and, consequently, there is no demand of any practical involvement on our part in the context. "Reading a detective story, we do not call the police to report information we have which we think useful in solving the crime -as we might if the same situations were reported in the newspaper. Rather, on this account of the ordinary conception of fiction, we think of ourselves as somewhat removed from the fictional events: the fictional world is not one in which we can act or for which we are responsible."4 Thus, the claim is, since according to the pan-fictional theory of Buddhism the world may be looked upon as fictional in character, the same sort of non-involvement is but befitting while dealing with the world.
The first reaction that comes to mind is that if the world is designated as fiction, it is not real, and this surely is a metaphysical commitment. However, if instead of being told that the world is fiction, we are suggested to take it like fiction, is there much improvement? Will the MIdhyamika be satisfied with the non-involvement generated by the fact of looking upon the world as fiction? The basic issue for the Madhyarnika seems to be bringing about a