Phil Weinstein Probes ‘Soul-Error’

Phil Weinstein

“Soul-error” is the essayist Montaigne’s memorable term for the mind’s altering relation to objects and others in time and space. The concept will be at the heart of an extensive talk by Philip Weinstein, Swarthmore College Professor Emeritus of English Literature on Thursday, November 7, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Community members are invited to attend the program, which will be held at the Hormel/Nguyen Intercultural Center at Swarthmore College’s Sproul Hall, Room 201.

Weinstein contends that we “see” things differently depending on whether they are in the past, the future, or the present. Further, seeing up close differs greatly from imagining from afar. “Figures as different as Freud, Proust, Kafka, Kundera, and Groucho Marx remind us that we access our world askew rather than straight on,” Weinstein said. “Indeed, Kafka described his own experience as ‘seasickness on dry land.’”

Weinstein’s talk will explore how what we take to be stable is always in motion. Buckle your seat belt!