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Philosophy Talk

The Philosophical Worlds of Borges

When you read a story, how important are the author’s intentions?

Argentinian writer Jorge Luís Borges wrote some of the world’s most brilliant, mind-bending, and philosophical stories. Drawing on sources from Europe, India, China, and Persia, these stories tackled topics like time, reality, selfhood, and art. Yet Borges also said "I don’t think ideas are important." So what can we get out of philosophical stories that don’t try to teach us what to think? And how can Borges help us grapple with our mortality, our confusion, our doubts? Josh and Ray explore the labyrinth with Héctor Hoyos from Stanford University, author of Beyond Bolaño: The Global Latin American Novel. Sunday, February 16 at 11 am.

Devon Strolovitch studied medieval Judeo-Portuguese manuscripts and earned a PhD in Linguistics from Cornell University before coming to KALW. He is the Senior Producer of Philosophy Talk, and since 2007 has hosted Fog City Blues, the weekly digest of Blues in the Bay Area and beyond.