Description: Typically, in the Western philosophical tradition, the presence of paradox and contradictions is taken to signal the failure or refutation of a theory or line of thinking. This aversion to paradox rests on the commitment-whether implicit or explicit-to the view that reality must be consistent.
In What Can't be Said, Yasuo Deguchi, Jay L. Garfield, Graham Priest, and Robert H. Sharf extend their earlier arguments that the discovery of paradox and contradiction can deepen rather than disprove a philosophical position, and confirm these ideas in the context of East Asian philosophy. They claim that, unlike most Western philosophers, many East Asian philosophers embraced paradox, and provide textual evidence for this claim. Examining two classical Daoist texts, the Daodejing and the Zhaungzi, as well as the trajectory of Buddhism in East Asia, including works from the Sanlun, Tiantai, Chan, and Zen traditions and culminating with the Kyoto school of philosophy, they argue that these philosophers' commitment to paradox reflects an understanding of reality as inherently paradoxical, revealing significant philosophical insights.Review Quotes: "In this fascinating new volume, four seasoned professionals of comparative and cross cultural religious philosophy team up to investigate, through key texts in the East Asian tradition, the significance of the violation of the Principle of Noncontradiction and the possibilities it opens up for religious and non religious thought alike." -- Lehel Balogh, Religious Studies Review
"an invaluable book of reference" -- Lehel Balogh, Religious Studies Review"The use of paradoxes across East Asian philosophies is well known, but this book is rare in taking those paradoxes seriously, both as claims that reality is indeed contradictory and as philosophical positions that are reasonable and even true. It is a valuable contribution to the growing field of world philosophy." -- Frank Perkins, University of Hawai'i"As an interpretative work, I think this book is a valuable contribution to the literature on East Asian philosophy. It's particularly nice to see such a collaborative work in the humanities and it's a treat to see several of the leading scholars on the topic work together." -- B. V. E. Hyde, Dao Review