“The Answer a Philosopher Gives Determines the Entire Shape of his Metaphysics”: The Influence of Plato and Descartes on Rebecca Goldstein’s The Mind-Body Problem
Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses November 27, 2019 DOI: 10.14198/raei.2012.25.27 (opens in new tab) via DOAJ
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThis article argues that Rebecca Goldstein's novel The Mind-Body Problem (1983) has been analyzed primarily through the lens of the protagonist's Orthodox Jewish background and the Holocaust's impact on her relationship with Noam, but has not been examined from a purely philosophical perspective. The author proposes to illuminate the protagonist's mind-body problem by focusing on references to René Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy and Plato's Republic, Book VII.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that the novel's mind-body problem can be illuminated through its references to Descartes' Meditations and Plato's Republic, an angle previously neglected in scholarship. |
Abstract
To date, Rebecca Goldstein’s The Mind-Body Problem (1983) has been mostly analysed from two points of view. On the one hand, the significance of Renee Feuer’s Orthodox Jewish background in addressing the/her mind-body problem; on the other, the implications of the Holocaust for Noam’s life and, therefore, for the Noam-Renee relationship. Surprisingly, this novel has not been studied from a purely philosophical perspective. For this reason, the present article attempts to shed some light on the protagonist’s mind-body problem by focusing on the references to René Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy (1641) and Plato’s Republic, Book VII.