Metaphysics of Paradox

Wm. Andrew Schwartz is executive director of the Center for Process Studies, cofounder and executive vice president of EcoCiv, and adjunct professor of philosophy and theology at Claremont School of Theology.

This book makes two excellent contributions. First, it is a thorough account of the Western discussion of religious pluralism, an important topic that has become quite central to both philosophy of religion and theology. Second, it introduces the thinking of an important Indian tradition, Jainism, to a largely uninformed West. This is not just of general interest, for it turns out that the Jain discussion of this topic for centuries is at least as sophisticated as the current Western tradition. I am glad to say that, in addition to offering a great deal of information about what others think, Schwartz evaluates and becomes thereby a serious participant in the scholarly conversation.

• IntroductionPart I: The Pluralism Debates in Western Philosophy of Religion1. The Pluralism Dilemma2. Western Approaches to the Pluralism Dilemma3. The Claremont Legacy & A Plurality of PluralismsPart II: Foundations for Religious Pluralism: A Jain Perspective4. The Jain Doctrine of Relativity5. Truth and Falsity in Jainism6. Jain Responses to the Pluralism DilemmaPart III: New Considerations: The Structure of Pluralistic Thinking7. The One and the Many: Universals, Unity, Paradox, and Truth8 Absolute Relativity: The Paradoxical Logic of PluralismConclusion