This seems closely related to performative sentences, which are sentences whose utterance causes them to become true, and which are usually marked with “hereby”.
Well, ‘foma’ as this article and Vonnegut use it, is about things where believing in them has some useful effect, even if they are not true in themselves (yet, or ever). I guess society is based on a lot of such things—e.g. warrior-ethos in the olden days.
This seems closely related to performative sentences, which are sentences whose utterance causes them to become true, and which are usually marked with “hereby”.
For example:
“I name this ship the Nausicaa”
“I now pronounce you husband and wife”
“Well, I say!”
Well, ‘foma’ as this article and Vonnegut use it, is about things where believing in them has some useful effect, even if they are not true in themselves (yet, or ever). I guess society is based on a lot of such things—e.g. warrior-ethos in the olden days.