Customer Reviews

Zen and the Art of Postmodern Philosophy

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is not a harsh discourse on deconstructionalism and the radicalism associated often with youthful postmodernism. Rather it is a beautiful discourse on the many parallels of Zen and philosophy in the 1900s. Strongly recommended. Also see Benoit's Zen and the Psychology of Transformation.

This was a tough read for me: The author assumes a good level of familiarity with the postmodern philosophers under discussion, so I recommend studying them a bit before jumping into this book or, like me, you will have a tough time comprehending/following about 20 percent of the material. That said, this is a unique work of serious comparative philosophy, one that can be read several times before it really sinks in. I am surprised by how well Dogen holds up against post-modern philosophers...a true testament to the genius and plasticity of the Buddhist tradition. The author does a really fantastic job of setting the Buddhist and post-modern philosophers side by side in dialogue with each other - you'd almost believe they really were.

This book eludicates the thought of Dogen which is often ignored in books on important Buddhist thinkers. This in itself was appreciated but there is much more to be valued in this excellent book on comparative Postmodern thinking and Buddhism.