"Sophie's World"

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Michel Foucault's theory of knowledge, power and truth as well as the ideas of empiricism and rationalism. The paper then examines how these values are found throughout Gaarder's "Sophie's World". The paper looks at the characters' interaction with the philosophies that all claimed at one time to be the truth.

From the Paper:

"Sophie's World - like many novels and human stories as well - can bring truth to light in the mind of the reader and observer as a link between knowledge and power. The first theory of Michel Foucault ("Knowledge, Power, and Truth") holds that knowledge is always "linked to power" and knowledge has the power to "make itself true." Further, Foucault says, power is not necessarily brutal or "repressive" and moreover the power can be expressed through understanding (knowledge) and cultural values. These values are found throughout Sophie's World. It is Foucault's belief that when speaking of truth, one must understand the cultural context of that truth (i.e., what is believed as being true throughout time in a given culture at a given time); there is an underlying "regime of truth," he explained, based on the setting, and context."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Foucault, Michel. (1980). Power / Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings, 19721977. New York: Pantheon Books.
• Gaarder, Jostein. (1991). Sophie's World. New York: Berkeley Books.

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• Analytical Essay # 39843 : "Sophies World"
• Analytical Essay # 72666 : "Jostein Gaarder's "Sophie's World"
• Analytical Essay # 128572 : "Survival, Meaning and Choice in the Face of War"

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