Nothing: Three Inquiries in Buddhism

by Marcus Boon, Eric Cazdyn, Timothy Morton

Though contemporary European philosophy and critical theory have long had a robust engagement with Christianity, there has been no similar engagement with Buddhism—a surprising lack, given Buddhism’s global reach and obvious affinities with much of Continental philosophy. This volume fills that gap, focusing on “nothing”—essential to Buddhism, of course, but also a key concept in critical theory from Hegel and Marx through deconstruction, queer theory, and contemporary speculative philosophy. Through an elaboration of emptiness in both critical and Buddhist traditions; an examination of the problem of praxis in Buddhism, Marxism, and psychoanalysis; and an explication of a “Buddhaphobia” that is rooted in modern anxieties about nothingness, Nothing opens up new spaces in which the radical cores of Buddhism and critical theory are renewed and revealed.

Genres: Philosophy, Buddhism, Nonfiction, Religion, Theory

296 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2015

About the author

Marcus B. Boon is a Professor of English teaching contemporary literature and cultural theory at the University of York, Toronto, Canada. His interests include literature in the digital age, critical theory, the Beats and other alternative and countercultures, popular music, and the cultural study of spirituality and religion.

Reviews

[Iman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Third part (written by Morton) explains why circles are maddening.