The Tao Is Silent [Paperback]

Raymond M. Smullyan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1977

A beguiling, whimsical guide to the meaning and value of Chinese philosophy to Westerners, from gardening to taking a nap.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (June 1, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060674695
• ISBN-13: 978-0060674694
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Taoism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sheer delight, March 14, 2001

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tao Is Silent (Paperback)

I think that at one time or another, I've read nearly everything Raymond Smullyan has published (including some books that, like _5000 B.C._, are now undeservedly out of print). And I still think this is probably his best book.

It is not, as Smullyan himself notes, a book _about_ Chinese philosophy, so don't buy it as an introduction to Taoism. (Probably the best overall such introduction, at least to "philosophical Taoism," is Alan Watts's _The Way of Zen_. Smullyan is a fan of Watts, by the way, and I agree with him that _Cloud-Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown_ was one of Watts's best books.) Smullyan is not giving an exposition of Eastern religion or philosophy here, although he does include a helpful bibliography for anyone who wants to follow up on that topic. (In fact some of his best essays have at least marginally to do with _Western_ religion.)

This book is a series of essays and reflections _inspired_ by Chinese philosophy -- in particular, inspired by an American mathematical logician's _reading_ of Chinese philosophy. And Smullyan is a delightfully witty and graceful writer, with a vivid sense of (for example) the foolishness of much modern "education," the meaning of "discipline," and the limits of abstract formal logic (which, incidentally, is _not_ identical with "reason").

Not only that, but he is one of few recent writers to explore the "dialogue" as a form of philosophical exposition. One of his finest is in this volume: "Is God a Taoist?" (This one is guaranteed to annoy all the right people.)

The Tao may be silent, but Smullyan, thank goodness, is not. His deft logic, his light touch, and his genial humor will endear him to pretty much any reader, of any religious or philosophical orientation, who approaches the book with an active mind.

(And I do mean "any." I have known the occasional reader who takes Smullyan to be an enemy of religious "orthodoxy," but I frankly see nothing here that justifies that view. More likely somebody is just misunderstanding what "orthodoxy" really is.)

Very highly recommended. Check out Smullyan's other books, too; among other things, he's a master of logic puzzles.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a marvelous book!, January 25, 2006

By 

T. A. Smedes (Nijmegen, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tao Is Silent (Paperback)

When I first encountered this book, I was under the impression that the writer was someone else than the Smullyan who wrote the many logical puzzles books. The book seemed like another addition to the enormous "New Age" crap that polute the shelves of my local book store.

Gosh, was I wrong!

Now that I've read this book, I see the fascination of Smullyan for Taoism. But not only that, I believe everyone interested in religion (not only Taoism) will be enriched and perhaps enlightened after having read this book.

The curious feature of Eastern religions is that, for many Westerners (including myself) they seem to be riddled with paradoxes. Smullyan is aware of that - and that's probably why he, as a mathematical logician, is so fascinated by it. The struggle with the paradoxes of Taoism and their relevance for our everyday life drives this book.

However, Smullyan nowhere tries to resolve the paradoxes. Instead, what he attempts to do with wonderful examples, often drawn from Taoist sources themselves, is to show the "logic" of the paradox. Instead of resolving the paradoxes, Smullyan tries to show (not explain!) the point of the paradoxes, and in that he often succeeds. The paradoxes are still there, and if you think about them analytically, you will get into a philosophical mess. However, Smullyan shows that if one looks upon those paradoxes differently, one can perhaps grasp the point of the paradoxes and accept them as being part of our everyday life.

To name just one example: Smullyan describes a wonderful conversation between God and a moralist about the problem of free will, in the chapter "Is God a Taoist?" What he does there is not to resolve the question "Does free will exist" but to show the meaninglessness of the question for everyday life.

Smullyan seems to me to be a Wittgensteinian, in that instead of giving explanations, he merely intends to show what Taoism is all about. Whether or not "real" Taoists will agree with Smullyan in all respects, I don't know. But this is not a book on Taoism - it's a book on Smullyan's view on the relevance of Taoism for everyday life. In that sense, the book is a confession of a logician.

Smullyan shows in this book that the one answer to the questions of life is that there is no answer...

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Tao is Silent" but I am not ... so please read on, February 5, 2004

By 

Erika Borsos "pepper flower" (Gulf Coast of FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Tao Is Silent (Paperback)

This book is a set of insightful reflections on Taoist philosophy and zen statements written by (of all people) a mathematical logician. The author provides the reader many serious and even humorous discourses about life and the path we choose to live. It is filled with amazing logic that is applied to the Taoist statements which become more clear and precise ... from this perspective.

Here is the approach the author takes: he describes how the Tao is formless, it is silent, it is vague, it does not command and does not argue ... He then discusses how the Tao can be proven to 'exist'. He delves into why the Tao is spontaneous and how it manages to remain leisurely, too. There are discussions on selfishness, altruism, "trusting one's true nature", "letting things go their own way" vs "on making an effort" adn "on the art of management". One of the shortest but most erudite chapters is entitled, "abiding in the Tao". The Taoist abides in the Tao not becasue it is his duty, nor because he is commanded to, neither is he afraid of the Tao ... he does so ... because "he loves to". While the true Tao is nameless, the Tao that is named, becomes the "Mother of all beings". Also, Smullyan tells us, "this unnamed Tao is more serene, 'more truly itself' than the named Tao."

This book does not take a conventional approach to describing Taoist philosophy, instead through the author's particular unique lense we get insight into this paradoxical subject. The book is replete with examples of Taoist and Zen sayings and logical comparisons which enhance the author's viewpoint of life. Reading this book is a pleasant experience for anyone wanting to explore how Chinese philosophy relates to life. Erika Borsos (erikab93)