David Foster Wallace’s philosophy thesis, “Richard Taylor’s ‘Fatalism’ and the Semantics of Physical Modality” joined a longstanding, ongoing philosophical discussion.
- A discussion of the major authors and works that shaped the debate.
Head and Heart
In “A Head That Throbbed Heartlike: The Philosophical Mind of David Foster Wallace,” his introduction to Fate, Time, and Language, James Ryerson explores the connections between Wallace’s fiction and his philosophy and reveals the nature of a mind capable of excelling at both.
Knock Yourself Out, by Matt Bucher
Dedicated fans of Wallace's writing know Matt Bucher as the administrator of wallace-l, the David Foster Wallace listserv. He is the publisher of two books on Wallace's work (Elegant Complexity: A Study of Infinite Jest and Consider David Wallace: Critical Essays). In "Knock Yourself Out," he brings the ardor of his appreciation for Wallace's fiction and essays to the rigor of Wallace's writing on math and philosophy.
Brief Interviews with Philosophy Students
Maureen Eckert, coeditor of Fate, Time, and Language, interviews contemporary philosophy students on their exposure to the work of David Foster Wallace as philosopher.
Wallace, Fiction, and Philosophy
David Foster Wallace on his Amherst philosophy thesis and the work of creative writing versus the work of philosophy:
"It was weird, because the philosophy thesis, it actually went really well, we worked with this Hampshire professor [Jay Garfield, who writes the epilogue for Fate, Time, and Language]. He’s the one who really said, “Are you out of your mind? You can get this thing published, and you can get a job, while you’re still in grad school. You’re like totally stupid.” But it was really weird: ’cause I really liked this, I mean, writing Broom of the System felt like it was using 97 percent of me, whereas the philosophy thesis was using 50 percent of me." —Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace, by David Lipsky (New York: Broadway Books, 2010), 261
The Argument Continues: Matt Bucher Interviews Steven Cahn
Matt Bucher interviews Steven Cahn on the place Wallace's thesis occupies in the ongoing debate over fatalism.
Unflawed by Fatalism: Richard Taylor and Steven M. Cahn
The philosophical dialogue presented in Fate, Time, and Language culminates in David Foster Wallace’s thesis, but it starts with the works of two philosophers: Richard Taylor and his protégé, a coeditor of the book.