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Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

レベッカ・ニューバーガー・ゴールドスタイン

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1950-02-23 （White Plains, New York, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism (by birth) / secular/atheist (later)
Residence History
White Plains (birth) → New York City (professional base) → London (visiting appointment)

Career

Occupations
philosopher, novelist, non-fiction writer, university professor, essayist
Active Years
1972-
Affiliations
Barnard College (faculty), Columbia University, Rutgers University, Trinity College (Connecticut), Harvard University (Radcliffe Institute fellow), New York University (visiting professor), New College of the Humanities (London, visiting professor), World Economic Forum (Council on Values)
Memberships
World Economic Forum (Council on Values), Secular Coalition for America (advisory board)
Influenced By
Thomas Nagel, William James (subject of fictionalization)
Influenced
contemporary philosophical fiction writers and public intellectuals

Education

City College of New York
Country: United States
Attended as undergraduate (some coursework)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Country: United States
Attended as undergraduate (some coursework)
Barnard College
Degree: BA
Period: 1968–1972
Year of Graduation: 1972
Country: United States
Graduated valedictorian in 1972
Princeton University
Department of Philosophy
Degree: PhD
Country: United States
Ph.D. in philosophy of science; studied with Thomas Nagel

Awards

National Humanities Medal
2014
Organization: National Endowment for the Humanities
Result: 受賞
Richard Dawkins Award
2014
Organization: Richard Dawkins Award (presenting organizations vary)
Result: 受賞
Montgomery Fellow
2013
Organization: Dartmouth College
Result: 受賞
Moment Magazine Creativity Award
2013
Organization: Moment Magazine
Result: 受賞
Franke Visiting Fellow
2012
Organization: Whitney Humanities Center, Yale University
Result: 受賞
American Humanist Association Humanist of the Year
2011
Organization: American Humanist Association
Result: 受賞
Freethought Heroine (Freedom from Religion Foundation)
2011
Organization: Freedom from Religion Foundation
Result: 受賞
Miller Scholar
2011
Organization: Santa Fe Institute
Result: 受賞
Christian Science Monitor Best Fiction Book of 2010
2010
Work: Thirty-Six Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction
Organization: The Christian Science Monitor
Result: 選出
Humanist Laureate (International Academy of Humanism)
2008
Organization: International Academy of Humanism
Result: 受賞
Fellow, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
2006
Organization: Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
Result: 受賞（フェローシップ）
Guggenheim Fellowship
2006
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Koret Jewish Book Award (Jewish Thought)
2006
Work: Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity
Category: 思想
Organization: Koret Foundation / Jewish Book Council
Result: 受賞
Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2005
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result: 選出
MacArthur Fellowship
1996
Organization: MacArthur Foundation
Result: 受賞
National Jewish Book Award
1995
Work: Mazel
Organization: Jewish Book Council
Result: 受賞
Edward Lewis Wallant Award
1995
Work: Mazel
Organization: Edward Lewis Wallant Award (University of Hartford)
Result: 受賞
Whiting Award
1991
Organization: Whiting Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Mind-Body Problem

1983 philosophical fiction

A serio-comic novel exploring the conflict between emotion and intelligence, the nature of mathematical genius, the challenges faced by intellectual women, and Jewish tradition and identity; described by the author as a philosophically motivated novel.

reason vs. emotionmathematical geniusidentityJewish identity

The Late-Summer Passion of a Woman of Mind

1989 literary fiction (set in academia)

Set in academia, this novel depicts the passions and struggles of an intellectually engaged woman.

academic culturewomen in academiapassion and reason

The Dark Sister

1993 historical/biographical fiction

A fictionalization drawing on family and professional issues related to William James.

history of psychologyfamily conflictbelief and doubt

Strange Attractors: Stories

1993 short stories

A collection of short stories; named a New York Times Notable Book and a National Jewish Honor Book.

intergenerational storiesfemale perspectivesJewish themes

Mazel

1995 novel

A novel involving three generations of women; explores Jewish culture and personal fate.

family historyJewish culturefate

Properties of Light: A Novel of Love, Betrayal, and Quantum Physics

2000 ghost story / novel engaging with scientific themes

A ghost story about love, betrayal, and quantum physics.

science and relationshipsquantum metaphorloss and memory

Thirty-Six Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction

2010 fiction exploring religion and reason

Explores controversies over religion and reason through the story of a psychology professor who wrote an atheist bestseller; selected as a favorite by NPR and named best fiction of 2010 by The Christian Science Monitor.

religion and reasonsecularismprivate belief and public life

Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Gödel

2005 biographical non-fiction / history of ideas

A biographical study of Kurt Gödel's work and its philosophical implications, written for a general audience.

philosophy of mathematicsrigor and paradoxlimits of knowledge

Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity

2006 biography / intellectual history

Examines Baruch de Spinoza's life and thought to explore the origins of modernity, secularism, and humanism.

Spinoza studiesmodernitysecularism and humanism

Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away

2014 philosophy / essays

Explores the historical roots and contemporary relevance of philosophy through dialogues and essays.

public philosophydialogue between classical and contemporary thoughtpractical philosophy

Bibliography

  • The Mind-Body Problem (1983)
  • The Late-Summer Passion of a Woman of Mind (1989)
  • The Dark Sister (1993)
  • Strange Attractors: Stories (1993)
  • Mazel (1995)
  • Properties of Light (2000)
  • Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Gödel (2005)
  • Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity (2006)
  • Thirty-Six Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction (2010)
  • Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away (2014)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
philosophical and logical narrationclear, reflective essayistic proseintegration of scientific knowledge into fiction
Recurring Motifs
reason vs. faithindividual vs. traditionintersection of science and ethics

Legacy

Goldstein is known as a writer and philosopher who bridges philosophy and fiction. She weaves rigorous philosophical arguments into accessible narratives and is recognized as a public intellectual advocating secularism and humanism. Her many fellowships and awards reflect a legacy of fostering interdisciplinary dialogue.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Fellow)

Archives

  • Barnard College related archives (materials held)

In Popular Culture

  • Often mentioned as a prominent female public intellectual within the wave of 'new new atheists'

Quotes

  • In short, I wanted to write a philosophically motivated novel.
    Source: Comment regarding The Mind-Body Problem (interview/author's remark) (1983)
  • I lived Orthodox for a long time... Then it went away, and I was a happy little atheist.
    Source: 2006 interview (Luke Ford) (2006)

Trivia

  • Graduated valedictorian from Barnard College in 1972.
  • Received a MacArthur Fellowship in 1996.
  • Won the National Jewish Book Award and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award in 1995 for Mazel.
  • Married cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker in 2007.
  • Daughters Yael Goldstein Love (novelist) and Danielle Blau (poet).