Contradiction and the Absolute

Every one of the four major theistic world religions, i.e., Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, holds the existence of a transcendental being. This transcendental being, called by different names, such as God, Allāh, Brahma, etc., has some specific characteristics that, in many cases, appear to imply some contradictions. In contrast to the aforementioned theistic religions, Buddhism is a non-theistic religion. But this, too, court inconsistency. In Buddhism, theories about emptiness or, in some cases, nothingness, have often been seen as contradictory. Let us call the contradictory being in our five religions the absolute. In all of them, the absolute is, in some sense, the ground of reality. Over the centuries, some theologians and philosophers, in order to give an account of this absolute ground, have argued that its nature is indeed contradictory. This volume, which has an historical approach, is about such views. It involves the theories of some philosophers and theologians throughout history concerning the contradictions of the absolute.

“This impressively diverse volume ranges over numerous philosophical traditions from around the globe and includes contributions from scholars with a variety of approaches. This breadth of scope is appropriate to the fundamental question at the heart of the book: does reality, at its deepest foundations, involve contradiction? As the book shows this seemingly paradoxical view lies at the heart of many traditions, from Vedanta monism to the Buddhist theory of emptiness, and treatments of the Abrahamic God in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.” —Peter Adamson (LMU Munich)

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“What, if anything, is beyond the fleeting, contingent elements of reality (if any there be)? What, if anything, is beyond the necessary elements of reality (if any there be)? So go perennial questions about — for lack of a better word — “the absolute”. This volume reflects very different, and very differently presented, perspectives on “the absolute”. There are no other volumes like it.” —J. C. Beall (Notre Dame)

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“It’s not surprising to discover that when we try to talk about ultimate reality, we find it hard to keep from contradicting ourselves. We often find contradiction and paradoxes at the limit of thought, or the limits of reality. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t sense to be made when we approach such weighty matters, even if we find these contradictions impossible to resolve. Behnam Zolghadr and Graham Priest’s Contradiction and the Absolute is an exciting collection, including insights from many different philosophical and religious traditions (including Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian and Islamic thinkers), each approaching reflection on ultimate reality with two shared convictions: first, that these contradictions at the limits of reality cannot be avoided or explained away, and second, that regardless, sense can be made in the presence of these contradictions, and that thinking carefully and coherently (though not necessarily consistently) about these contradictions at the limits of reality is not only possible, but productive. This collection is a must read for anyone interested in the metaphysics of ultimate reality.” —Greg Restall (St. Andrews)