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The Philosopher Novelist
A Chat With the Artist
By KATE TAYLOR
May 31, 2006
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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It makes me an outsider in both, which isn't so pleasant. I know that [writing "The Mind-Body Problem"] harmed my philosophical career. It was just not what you're supposed to do as a young assistant professor hell-bent on tenure.
How did writing fiction change your relationship to philosophy?
It was hard for me to go back to writing philosophy. The thought that I would churn out a paper that anybody could churn out didn't appeal to me. The liberating thing about writing fiction was voice. I could experiment with different voices. You can't do that in academic writing.
What led you to write "The Mind-Body Problem"?
I was already an assistant professor of philosophy at Barnard, and I had gone through a very emotionally demanding year. I had had my first child, and I had lost my father, and I started turning my doubt onto the field of philosophy. I was 26. I had my doctorate. I was a professional philosopher. But it didn't seem to me that I knew more than any other 26-year old when it came to things like grieving for a beloved parent or bringing up a child. I began to think: What is philosophy all about? I couldn't write a philosophy paper about that, so I found myself writing this novel.
