Religion and Science in the Mirror of Buddhism

Francisca Cho is Associate Professor of Buddhist studies at Georgetown University. Her main research topic is the aesthetic expression of Buddhism through fiction, poetry and film. The methodology of comparative studies is a key focus in her work on religion and science.Richard K. Squier received his PhD in computer science from Princeton University in 1991, and is currently on the faculty of the Computer Science Department, Georgetown University. He is interested in the physical limitations of computation and its application to human communication.

"Drawing on an impressive range of Buddhist and Western writing, both classical and contemporary, Francisca Cho and Richard Squier utilize systems theory, linguistic philosophy, and concepts of narrative pluralism to ponder not just how religions in general and Buddhism in particular may be understood by scientists but, more crucially, how Buddhist reflections on emptiness, mind, experience, and human possibility might help us understand what science and religion really are, and how the two can enter into fruitful communication."Roger R. Jackson, Carleton College, USA

• Preface. List of Abbreviations. Introduction: The Mirror of Buddhism. Chapter One: Comparative Empiricisms. Chapter Two: Myth, Logic, and the Logic of Mythology. Chapter Three: Does the Buddha Tell Lies? Getting Beyond the Literal and Metaphorical. Chapter Four: Zen Masters and Their Way With Words. Chapter Five: How to be an Enlightened Materialist. Chapter Six: Reflecting on the Buddha to Reflect on Ourselves.