The play of negativity : an exploration of an apophatic discourse in Daoist philosophy and negative theology

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dc.contributor.advisorWyschogrod, Edith
dc.creatorZhang, Ellen Ying
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-26T17:15:13Z
dc.date.available2018-11-26T17:15:13Z
dc.date.issued1995
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation is an attempt to bring Daoist philosophy and negative theology into conversation. The comparative project itself by no means suggests an identification of the Daoist "Dao" with the Christian "God," nor does it argue for a contrast between a "non-logocentric China" with a "logocentric West." However divergent China and the West may be the notion of "Dao" in Daoist philosophy and the notion of "God" in negative theology, share what I call a "gesture of negativity." My project then is a comparative study of a philosophical/theological discourse which deals with the problem of ineffability. I propose that the apophatic gesture is inevitably paradoxical when speech is deployed in order to surpass itself. I compare the notions of wang and wuwei in Daoism with the notion of Gelassenheit in negative theology, and the Daoist wu with Derrida's denegation. I argue that the play of negativity does not suggest the rejection of meanings as such; rather like many other discourses, it participates in creation, construction, and destruction of meaning within particular philosophical and theological configurations.
dc.format.digitalOriginreformatted digital
dc.format.extent251 pp
dc.identifier.callnoTHESIS RELI. 1995 ZHANG
dc.identifier.citationZhang, Ellen Ying. "The play of negativity : an exploration of an apophatic discourse in Daoist philosophy and negative theology." (1995) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/103404">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/103404</a>.
dc.identifier.digitalRICE2436
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/103404
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.
dc.subjectPhilosophy
dc.subjectTheology
dc.subjectPhilosophy, religion and theology
dc.titleThe play of negativity : an exploration of an apophatic discourse in Daoist philosophy and negative theology
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialText
thesis.degree.departmentReligious Studies
thesis.degree.disciplineHumanities
thesis.degree.grantorRice University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy
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