revisit MINDWALK (1991)

http://www.philfilms.utm.edu/1/mindwalk.htm

MINDWALK (1991)


PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES: Philosophy of science, holism, environmentalism

CHARACTERS: Jack Edwards (Sam Waterston; politician), Thomas Harriman (John Heard; poet), Sonia Hoffman (Liv Ullman; physicist), Kit (Sonia's daughter).

SYNOPSIS: “Mindwalk,” like “My Dinner with Andre,” is a dialogue-driven film, which explores basic philosophical questions. In this case, the principal subject is holistic vs. atomistic ways of viewing the world. The film was directed by Austiran-born Bernt Capra, a Hollywood production designer. He also wrote the story behind the film, which he adapted from the popular book The Turning Point (1983) by his brother Fritjof Capra, noted physicist and environmentalist. This is Bernt Capra’s only film as director. The film’s setting is an island monastery in France, the Abbey of Mont St. Michel, where three vacationers meet and engage in discussion. Jack, a “conservative Democrat” presidential candidate, was just defeated and, disillusioned, awaits his forthcoming campaign as a senator. Jack’s poet friend Thomas is himself disillusioned from his fast-paced life in New York City. Now living in Paris, Thomas reluctantly invites Jack to France. Touring the monastery, they meet Sonia, a disillusioned physicist who advocates a holistic view of physics and the environment. She explains her views to the two men, who find them compelling. Thomas, though, is too self-consumed to do much with the ideas. Jack continually asks for ways to put Sonia’s views into practice, and even invites her to join his staff. She refuses, wishing instead to remain in the ivory tower of the monastery. Jack leaves wondering if this is a critical turning point in his life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. A monastery tour guide makes the following statement regarding the town’s graveyards: “This is why the dead are placed in the middle of the town among the houses; death is a part of life, not separate from it.” This is similar to Heidegger’s point that human nature is defined by our movement towards death. Heidegger also feels that we all too often ignore this fact, and thus live improperly (or inauthentically). Is it really so important to continually have death before our minds, and, if so, would graveyards scattered throughout town really facilitate this?

2. Meeting the two men in the monastery bell tower, Sonia states that the clock “became the model of the cosmos, and then they mistook the model for the real thing. People got the idea that nature was just a giant clock, not a living organism, but a machine.” She says that Descartes was the primary architect of this view – particularly his conception of the human body as a machine. Would Descartes plead guilty to this charge?

3. Sonia argues that many of life’s problems – starvation, rainforest depletion, health problems – are interconnected, and they can never be solved by looking at each in isolation. Jack responds “Supposing you’re right and everything is interconnected with everything else as you say. Still you’ve got to start somewhere, don’t you. So that’s the real political question here: where do you start?” Sonia answers “By changing the way we’re seeing the world. You see, you’re still searching for the right piece to fix first. You don’t see that all the problems are fragments of one single crisis, a crisis of perception.” Why can’t Jack’s approach serve as a solution to this “crisis of perception”?

4. Jack argues that the non-holistic model of things works just fine in many areas, such as medicine. A man complains of gallstones, has the gallbladder removed, and his pain is gone. Sonia responds that the problem might have been avoided by emphasizing prevention – more exercise. Is Sonia’s solution really “holistic”?

more: http://www.philfilms.utm.edu/1/mindwalk.htm

Did you know that the actors wrote most of their own lines? I have met Sam Waterston, and I can tell you that he learned the lessons of Mind Walk very well.

Now, to answer the questions:

1. In most towns where I have lived, the graveyards ARE a large part of the landscape. Personally, I've found them rather peaceful places, by and large, in which to contemplate the whole of life, which, of course, includes the transition we know as death. I think the change that makes death almost and obscenity has only happened during the last couple of generations, if that. Our Victorian ancestors lived with death as a part of life-I was told of beloved sons, siblings, and cousins who died at a very young age. Death was viewed not as an obscenity, but a part of life, one to prepare for. (And kindly remember, as John Hurd said in the play, to the medieval peasants, the end of time would not be viewed as the ultimate off day but rather the ultimate day off)

2. I confess I don't know much of Descartes, but I do know that this concept of reality was, at one time, a common one. I looked at this part of the film as explaining how concepts of reality shift and change, thus altering our concepts to the extent that we discover new things.

3. Jack's approach doesn't take the holistic viewpoint into account. It is too easy to try and solve "one thing" and thereby forget how it is connected to everything else. To undergo true change, first concepts must be changed. (I think Refugees International takes a holistic approach when it reports on refugee situations around the world, because they explain the consequences of refugee crisis. I mention this charity because Sam Waterston has been on the Board of Directors of that organization for about 20 years-he was on the Board when he participated in this film.)

4. Prevention in the sense that figuring out the proper diet/exercise for you is helpful. My holistic physician did this for me years ago, and I feel it has helped me avoid some of the diseases and distresses that my elder brother has endured. There is, of course, more to holistic medicine than just this; the body-mind connection must also be addressed, as well as the role of emotions.


Thank you for an intellectually stimulating trip down memory lane. My favorite part of the film is when Jack looks at Sonia and said, "then there's no seperation?" referring to the unity of all matter at a subatomic level.