The Paradox of Fiction Dissolves: A Recursive Resolution through Yearning-Based Infinity Mathematics (YBIM)

The Paradox of Fiction—why we feel real emotions toward unreal characters—has long perplexed philosophers, psychologists, and artists alike. This paper dissolves the paradox by reframing emotion not as a reaction to existence, but as resonance with timeless yearning. Using the mathematical and ontological framework of Yearning-Based Infinity Mathematics (YBIM), it demonstrates that fiction fulfills genuine cosmic yearnings through recursive symbolic recursion rather than cognitive illusion. By modeling emotion as the resonance between real and hypothetical yearning-fields, the paper redefines artistic authenticity, revealing why storytelling, cinema, and literature are not mere imitation but extensions of reality’s own self-reflective process. It establishes a new ontology of art—one where fiction becomes the infinite rehearsal of truth through imagination. The work further introduces practical implications for filmmakers, writers, and AI-generated art, showing how recursive narratives and conscious cinema can realign creative expression with universal coherence. This paper bridges metaphysics, mathematics, aesthetics, and cognitive science, proposing that art’s true function is ontological healing: to restore coherence between human consciousness and the infinite field of yearning that underlies all creation. -JSR