At the heart of the latest work from acclaimed philosopher and novelist Rebecca Newberger Goldstein lies one question: is philosophy obsolete?
Goldstein recently visited the Helen Edison series for a lively conversation with Roger Bingham, Founder of The Science Network.
In Plato At The Googleplex, Goldstein proves why philosophy is here to stay by revealing its hidden role in today’s debates on religion, morality, politics, and science. Goldstein examines these themes by imagining Plato come to life in the 21st century. As he embarks on a multicity speaking tour, Goldstein asks: how would Plato handle a host on FOX News who denies that there can be morality without religion? How would he answer a neuroscientist who argues that science has definitively answered the questions of free will and moral agency? And what would Plato make of the idea that knowledge can be crowdsourced rather than reasoned out by experts? With scholarly depth and a novelist’s imagination, she probes the deepest issues confronting our time.
Goldstein holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton and has taught at Columbia, Rutgers, and Brandeis universities. She has been awarded MacArthur Foundation, Guggenheim, and Radcliffe fellowships and is a member of The American Academy of Arts and Sciences.