Nonfactuality

Nonfactuality refers to the quality or state of content that does not claim to represent the world as it is or cannot be verified as fact. It encompasses fiction, satire, fantasy, speculation, hypothetical reasoning, and counterfactual scenarios. The term is often discussed in contrast to factuality and verifiability, and it can apply to texts, media, discourse, and representations.

In literature and art nonfactuality is deliberate, enabling world-building, allegory, and narrative experimentation. In philosophy and linguistics, counterfactuals express conditional outcomes that would obtain under different circumstances and are treated as ideas rather than facts within standard truth conditions. Nonfactual content can also be hypothetical or provisional, awaiting evidence or context.

In journalism and public discourse, identifying nonfactual content is essential to assess credibility. Satire and parody rely on nonfactual cues while delivering critique, whereas misinformation and fabricated content imitate factual presentation to mislead. Distinguishing labels such as fictional, hypothetical, or unverified helps readers and tools like fact-checkers.

Assessment of nonfactuality involves provenance, authorship, corroboration, and the degree of verifiability. Context and audience expectations influence interpretation. Ethically, presenting nonfactual material as fact can cause harm, whereas clearly labeled nonfactual material serves artistic, educational, or critical purposes.

See also factuality, veracity, fiction, satire, misinformation, rumors, counterfactuals, epistemology.