Language, Truth, and Pedagogy

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: David Henderson, University of Nebraska; Dadul Namgyal, Emory University; Mark Risjord, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-10-14
• Publisher: Fronteris
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 Henderson, Namgyal and Risjord.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.727488
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Frontiers in Communication
• Volume: 6
• Keywords: epistemology; translation; philosophy of science; philosophy pedagogy; buddhist logic
• Research Categories: Education, Language and Literature; Anthropology, Cultural; Religion, Philosophy of

Abstract

Early in the planning the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, we realized that the encounter between Buddhism and contemporary science demanded that Buddhist logic and epistemology encounter Anglophone philosophy of science. A titanic clash of world views was anticipated, but as we began the conversation, we found something different. Many philosophical concerns were shared, but these problems were understood differently. While fundamental elements of epistemology, like observation and inference, had similar functions in both traditions, subtle differences in conceptualization challenged mutual intelligibility. Through thousands of years of erudite debate, each tradition had honed their tools. While each cut cleanly, they carved in different joints. This essay will briefly discuss the linguistic, philosophical, and pedagogical adjustments that made for mutual comprehensibility.