Robinson's Podcast 214 - Joyce Carol Oates: On Philosophy and Literature
Jun 30, 2024
Joyce Carol Oates, a celebrated novelist and professor at Princeton, dives into the complexities of philosophy and literature. She reflects on her experiences with controversial philosopher Peter Singer, exploring the interplay of ethics and fiction. Oates discusses her approach to criticism and how it shapes her work, as well as her unique writing process and techniques for short stories. She intriguingly links her characters' moral dilemmas to broader philosophical ideas, all while navigating the challenges of translation and the essence of storytelling.
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Suicide Story Based On A Real Writer
- In "The Suicide" a perfectionist writer cannot commit suicide because he can't compose the perfect note and becomes absorbed by rescuing a hit fox.
- Oates uses this real-writer-inspired scene to show how external emergencies snap people out of solipsism.
Buddhism And Utilitarian Overlap
- Oates observes substantial overlap between Singer's utilitarian ethics and Buddhist concern to alleviate suffering for all sentient beings.
- She treats Buddhism as ethically aligned but philosophically different in temperament.
Philosophy Reflects Social Context
- Oates argues Eastern philosophies arise from contexts of powerlessness and teach detachment, unlike American pragmatism oriented to action.
- She values both as appropriate to different cultural circumstances.
